Manhattan Feds Charge Two Men With Running Couriers for an $18 Million Pop-Up Scam

On July 31, 2025, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York announced charges against Jingbin Jiang, 37, of Staten Island, and Su Jian Liu, 38, of Edmond, Oklahoma, also known as "Fatty" and "Ah Pang." Jiang was arrested in Staten Island that morning. Liu was at large.

The numbers are big. Prosecutors say the scheme tried to steal more than $18 million from more than 350 victims and actually took more than $5 million from more than 70 of them.

How the scam allegedly worked

According to the indictment, from at least 2023 to about July 2025, the scheme went after mostly elderly victims in at least 19 states. Here's the three-step play:

• Step one: the pop-up. Victims saw a pop-up telling them to call a number controlled by the scheme. It usually claimed to come from a tech company, a bank or the government.
• Step two: the story. Callers told victims their computers had a virus, or had been hacked and used to commit serious crimes, like downloading child sexual abuse material. Others were told their bank accounts were compromised. To avoid arrest or protect their money, victims were told to withdraw large amounts of cash or buy gold.
• Step three: the courier. Victims were told a courier would come to their home. They'd get the courier's (fake) name, a description of his clothes and sometimes a password.

Some victims were even told their money would be held by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). They were given notice on fake federal letterhead. Some victims were asked to buy and transfer cryptocurrency or gift cards.

Where Jiang and Liu fit

According to the prosecutors, Jiang and Liu were managing and supervising the couriers. Other members of the scheme sent them texts with victims' zip codes and how much cash or gold to collect. Jiang and Liu decided whether to accept the pickup. If they did, they got the details, sent a courier and gave progress updates.

After pickup, the money and gold went back to New York City. Then, prosecutors say, Jiang and Liu arranged to distribute it, including converting cash and gold into cryptocurrency to send to scheme members overseas, including in India and China.

Both are charged with wire fraud conspiracy (up to 20 years) and conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property (up to five years). These are allegations. Both men are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and New York City Police Department (NYPD) Joint Organized Crime Task Force investigated.

Why should you care?

Because it's a business. Dispatchers. Couriers. Crypto conversion. Overseas payouts. It runs like a delivery company.

And it all starts with a phone number on a fake pop-up. The victim makes the call. That's why these scams are so hard to stop at the carrier level.

What to do this week

• Tell your parents: if a pop-up says call this number, don't.
• No agency, including the FTC, holds your cash or gold for you. Ever.
• A courier with a password at your door? Call the police.
• Report it at ic3.gov.

That's it. Real tech companies don't send a guy in a car.