On February 18, 2025, an elderly resident of Marin County reported to Marin County Sheriff’s Deputies that they were the victim of fraud. The resident told the responding deputies that they were contacted by individuals claiming to be FBI agents. The FBI-impersonators contacted the resident by phone and claimed there was an active fraud investigation involving the resident’s bank account. The fake FBI agents convinced the resident that the only way to protect the money in their bank account was to withdraw it and have it deposited into a “safe Federal bank account” via courier.

The elderly resident subsequently withdrew $25,000 in cash from their bank account.  A courier, described by the resident as an Asian male adult, arrived and took the cash.  The fake FBI agents then attempted to convince the resident to purchase gold and provide it to a courier. At that point, the resident became suspicious and contacted a real FBI agent. The real FBI agent informed the resident that they were being scammed and directed them to contact local law enforcement.

Through an extensive investigation, the Marin County Sheriff’s Office Investigations Unit identified the courier suspect as Zian Hu, 38, of San Francisco. Hu was arrested at a residence in Daly City for grand theft, elder abuse, and conspiracy.  Based on Hu’s connection with a larger criminal enterprise, Detectives believe Hu has access to large amounts of illegally obtained cash. A bail enhancement from $50,000 to $1,000,000 was requested and granted.

On May 12, 2025, Marin County Sheriff’s Detectives arrested Balraj Singh, 24, of Torrance, who was engaged in a similar “cash courier pick-up scam”. Singh went to a victim’s residence to pick up $50,000 in cash but was contacted by law enforcement before completing the theft. Singh was arrested and booked into the Marin County Jail for attempted grand theft, attempted elder abuse, and conspiracy. Based on Singh’s connection with a larger criminal enterprise, Detectives believe Singh has access to large amounts of illegally obtained cash. A bail enhancement was requested and granted for no bail.

Marin County Sheriff’s Office Detectives are continuing to investigate both cases to identify co-conspirators. At this time, there is no confirmed connection between the two suspects.  

The Marin County Sheriff’s Office continues to notice an increase in scams targeting our elderly residents. While the specifics of each scam often varies, they often involve suspects arranging for couriers to pick up cash and/or gold.

Friendly reminder to our community:

- There is no legitimate situation where a company or law enforcement agent will request delivery of cash/currency by courier.

- There is no reason to withdraw funds or purchase gift cards and provide them to unknown individuals.

- If you receive an email from a company that seems suspicious regarding a transaction, do not use the numbers provided on the email. Look up the company’s phone number on their website.

- Fraudulent/suspicious activity can come from emails, text messages, and phone calls.

- If you are not sure if the correspondence from a business is legitimate, ask a friend, family member, or call your local law enforcement agency.