Box with $30,000 cash leads to arrest of accused scammer, California cops say
A woman was arrested after California deputies say they caught her taking a box of cash from a home as part of an “elaborate scam.”
Caihong Lei, 34, of Los Angeles County, was arrested “on charges related to grand theft by false pretense and conspiracy to commit fraud,” the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office said in an Aug. 7 news release.
When a 77-year-old Goleta woman answered her phone Monday, Aug. 4, the person on the line said they were with Amazon, alerting her about “unauthorized charges on her account and fabricated bank accounts opened in her name,” deputies said.
The caller then transferred the woman to a supposed Federal Trade Commission agent, who said she should take out $30,000 in cash from her bank to fix the “issue,” deputies said.
Using a fabricated story provided by the caller, deputies said, the woman visited two banks and withdrew the cash with the caller still on the line.
The caller then “demanded photos of the cash, receipts, herself, and a sealed box containing the money,” deputies said.
However, the woman grew suspicious upon noticing the agent’s emails included misspelled words and called 911 while the caller was still on the phone, deputies said.
The woman agreed to help deputies catch the suspect, according to deputies.
Deputies said they watched as a woman, later identified as Lei, lingered near the home, then retrieved the box.
Lei was arrested by awaiting deputies and booked into jail, where she is being held on $500,000 bail, the sheriff’s office said.
Deputies said they helped the woman return the cash to her bank account.
“These cases demonstrate the critical importance of community awareness and quick action in combating these heartless scams,” Sheriff Bill Brown said in the release.
To avoid scams, deputies urged residents to verify claims and not answer unsolicited calls regarding account issues; be leery of “urgent demands,” as “legitimate organizations like Amazon or the FTC do not request cash withdrawals or personal photos;” “protect personal information by not sharing “bank details, photos or passwords over the phone or email; and be alert for red flags, like “poor grammar, misspellings, or requests for unusual actions (like fabricating stories).”
Goleta is about a 110-mile drive northwest from Los Angeles.
This story was originally published August 7, 2025 at 10:39 AM with the headline "Box with $30,000 cash leads to arrest of accused scammer, California cops say."
