From Ventura Police Department
Incident: Elder Abuse, Grand Theft, Theft by False Pretenses, Conspiracy and Possession of Stolen Property
Location: 2000 block of Channel Drive
Date/Time Occurred: 2/14/2025 at 1145 hours
Officer(s) Involved: VPD Patrol, VPD Detectives
Suspect(s): Zhiyang Yan, 37 years. Los Angeles resident
Wenjun Liu, 39 years, Los Angeles resident
Report #: 25-9862
Narrative:
On 2/13/25 at 1440 hours, the Ventura Police Department received a call of a fraud in progress where the victim’s computer had been hacked by an unknown suspect. Officers quickly learned that the elderly victim had withdrawn a large amount of money as a result of a “Norton Virus” scam. Ventura PD Street Crimes Unit Detectives were notified and assisted with the investigation. On 2/14/25, the suspect arranged a time for a courier to pick up the money from the victim. At 1130 hours, two suspects, identified as Zhiyang Yan and Wenjun Liu, arrived at the victim’s residence. Liu took possession of the victim’s money at which point SCU Detectives detained and arrested Yan and Liu.
Liu and Yan are both Los Angeles County residents. Liu and Yan were placed under arrest for elder abuse, grand theft, theft by false pretenses, conspiracy to commit a crime, and possession of stolen property. Liu and Yan were booked at the Ventura County Jail without further incident. The Ventura Police Department has recently seen an increase in computer scams. Some of these scams include anti-virus scams, tech support scams, government impersonation scams, and investment scams. Please do not access Norton virus computer pop ups, text messages, emails, and telephone calls from unknown numbers that are asking for money to be deposited in other accounts or money that must be picked up from unknown subjects.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of financial fraud or believes they are being scammed, please contact the Ventura Police Department at 805-339-4400.
