NY man caught in Fort Mill part of national money scam, York County, SC sheriff says
York County deputies have arrested a man from New York on allegations he was involved in a national phone fraud scam, Sheriff Kevin Tolson announced Friday.
Shulong Li, 43, of College Point, N.Y, is charged with obtaining property under false pretenses and conspiracy, according to jail records and Tolson.
Detectives arrested Li on Dec. 12 after a woman in Minnesota reported to York County deputies the previous day about being scammed, Tolson said at news conference Friday at the Moss Justice Center.
Someone told the woman in a phone call the day prior that her son had been arrested on drug charges and she had to mail thousands of dollars to a Fort Mill address to clear his name, Tolson said.
The woman sent more than $15,000 on Dec. 11, but she alerted deputies after sending it because she suspected the scam, according to a sheriff’s office incident report and Tolson.
Deputies recovered the money and arrested Li on Dec. 12 in Fort Mill, Tolson said.
The investigation found that additional victims from Iowa and New Mexico had been fleeced, Tolson said. Officers recovered around $43,000 in cash.
“We have disrupted a nationwide scam operation,” Tolson said.
Sheriff: Suspect in country illegally
Li is in the country illegally, Tolson said in response to a question from The Herald at the news conference.
It is unclear what country Li comes from. He remained in the York County jail Friday.
Tolson said federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement has a detainer on Li.
York County officials are working with law enforcement in Minnesota where police also brought charges against Li in the scam, Tolson said.
Safety from scams
Tolson said scammers often use online information to pose as law enforcement officers or other public officials to seek money from people they target. Tolson’s own name has been used by scammers, as well as many of his command staff and other deputies.
No legitimate law enforcement or court agency asks for money, credit card information, PIN numbers, or any similar material over the phone, Tolson said.
He reiterated that scammers often target the elderly or others who might fall prey to persuasion that uses claims of a loved one arrested or jailed.
“These people are predators,” Tolson said of scammers.
Bob Hamilton, an FBI agent who works with the sheriff’s office, said at the news conference some scammers have used phony law enforcement credentials to try and lure people into sending money.
During the holiday season and into 2025, Tolson and deputies urged people to be cautious about scams.
In 2024, fraudsters have stolen more than $3.6 million from people in York County, Tolson said. The agency received 869 reports of fraud this year, sheriff’s office statistics show. In 46 of those cases, scammers impersonating police officers sought money over the phone.
Deputies also recovered a package that did not have money in it but was filled with dog feces that law enforcement believes came from another person targeted in the scam, Tolson said. Apparently, a person targeted in the scheme had figured it was a scam and sent the alleged scammer a package with dog waste in it, according to Tolson.
Anyone who believes they have been targeted in a scam in York County can call the sheriff’s office at 803-628-3056 to report it.
This story was originally published December 20, 2024 at 12:23 PM.
