Arrest made in Montgomery County scam investigation

AMSTERDAM, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- New York State Police reported the arrest of a Flushing man in connection to a scam investigation in Montgomery County. Zixiong Wang, 27, is facing multiple charges.

On December 1, state police received a report from an elderly Montgomery County resident who believed they were a scam victim. The ensuing investigation revealed that the victim got an email in November which claimed they had bought cryptocurrency.

When the victim called the customer service number listed in the email, the person they spoke to manipulated the victim into believing they had been defrauded and that their online activity was being monitored. The person allegedly demanded money from the victim multiple times throughout a series of phone calls, resulting in the victim being conned out of over $40,000.

On December 3, the victim and the scam suspect agreed to meet up at a location in Amsterdam to exchange another payment that had been demanded. When the suspect, then identified as Wang, approached the victim, state police investigators took him into custody.

During the arrest, Wang was reportedly found with a felony quantity of cocaine. Further investigation by state police determined that Wang was also wanted in Delaware for unrelated but similar crimes.

Wang was charged with third-degree attempted grand larceny and fifth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance. He was arraigned at Amsterdam Town Court before being remanded to the Montgomery County Correctional Facility without bail.

State police said that more suspects are believed to be involved. The investigation remains ongoing.