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Two men from Flushing were arrested for attempting to scam an elderly man out of $30,000 at the Community Resource Federal Credit Union in Latham. The incident unfolded on Wednesday (September 24) when a bank employee noticed the elderly customer appeared confused while trying to withdraw a large sum of money for a supposed construction project. The man was reportedly being directed over the phone by an unknown person.
Police officers and investigators quickly responded to the scene, posing as the victim to arrange a handover of the cash to the suspects. This led to the arrest of 43-year-old Huifeng Jin and 34-year-old Qinghua Wang. During the arrest, an investigator suffered a significant injury. According to CBS6 Albany, Jin faces charges of assault on a police officer, grand larceny in the third degree, and resisting arrest. He was arraigned in Colonie Town Court and is currently held at the Albany County Correctional Facility pending a preliminary hearing. Wang was charged with grand larceny in the third degree and was released under probation supervision.
Authorities credited the bank employees for their vigilance, which prevented the victim from losing tens of thousands of dollars and helped apprehend the suspects. This incident highlights the ongoing issue of scams targeting the elderly, as similar cases have been reported in other areas, including Binghamton, where police recently arrested two individuals for attempting to steal $30,000 from an elderly woman, as reported by Spectrum Local News.