Sheriff’s office sting snares alleged FDIC scammer who tried to con Ashford woman

In this image from body cam video, Jingbing Xue, 44, of Federal Way is arrested by the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department after he attempted to collect money from a scam victim in Ashford Jan. 17. A fake badge can be seen on his belt.

Instead of collecting $25,000 from an Ashford woman, an alleged scammer received a pair of shiny handcuffs. But the victim is still out $14,800.

According to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department, the 71-year-old victim was contacted by people claiming to be with the FDIC — presumably a reference to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. The first message came as a pop-up on her computer.

After calling a number, the “FDIC” told her they needed to move her funds to a secure account. Her family and her bank were both trying to steal her money, she was told. The scammers convinced her by naming family members and other personal information they had probably gleaned from the internet, Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Deputy Carly Cappetto said.

“They convinced her that her family and her bank were scamming her,” Cappetto said. “They had her so scared.”

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As is typical with scammers, they told the victim to tell no one of what she was doing as they instructed her to withdraw money from her bank. Bank employees, however, were suspicious and questioned the victim about the large cash withdrawal, Cappetto said. The victim told the bank, as she been instructed by the scammers, that the money was for a house remodel.

First, the scammers wanted money sent to them via Bitcoin. Digital currency is favored by scammers.

“She struggled with the whole Bitcoin thing,” Cappetto.

So, in what was an unusual move for scammers who rarely ever meet their victims face to face, they sent a courier to Ashford to pick up the $14,800. A well dressed man who called himself an agent showed up in an expensive car and took the cash.

“She gave the money to this ‘agent’ with the promise they were moving it into a secure account for her,” Cappetto said.

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The next day, the scammers reached out to her again, this time asking for $25,000 from another account.

At that point, the victim spoke with a family member who reached out to the authorities. The Sheriff’s Department was alerted on Jan. 17 and set up a sting operation. In phone calls with the suspects that lasted hours, arrangements were made to send a carrier to collect the money.

That day, Jingbing Xue, 44, of Federal Way was arrested by the Sheriff’s Department when he attempted to collect the money. In body cam video released by the department, he can be seen wearing a fake badge on his belt.

According to Fox 13, Xue was charged with theft and attempted theft. He has pleaded not guilty.

Unlike scammers who operate in China, India and other far flung locales, this scam involved a local operation. However, the Sheriff’s Department feels it could be tied to a larger scam network.

The FDIC, IRS and other government agencies rarely contact the public unsolicited via email, computer pop-ups, texts or phone calls. The Federal Trade Commission has tips on avoiding scams on its website: consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-avoid-scam