DOUGLAS COUNTY, Nev. – For the second time in four months, deputies from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) have arrested suspects accused of extorting money from local elderly residents. In September 2024, DCSO arrested Minglong Chen when he arrived at the home of a 91-year-old woman in Minden to pick up $12,000 in cash that the woman had agreed to pay.

On Friday January 10, 2025, DCSO deputies arrested Cindy Yaohua Gou, a 43-year-old female from Rowland Heights, California and Zhu Ping Ge, a 39-year-old female from San Gabriel, California when they arrived at the home of a 79-year-old Gardnerville Ranchos woman to pick up $18,000 in cash.

In both cases, after agreeing to pay cash to the suspects, the women became suspicious and thought they were being scammed and contacted DCSO before handing over any money.

The latest victim received an email stating that she had signed up for a subscription with a recurring fee. The victim called the number associated with the email to complain that she had not signed up for the subscription. The suspects agreed to refund the victim the fee and asked for her bank account information, which the victim gave to the suspects. The suspects then made it appear that they had accidentally refunded the victim much more money than the subscription fee and they demanded that the victim repay them.

Chen, who was arrested on September 10 remains jailed in Douglas County on $100,000 bail along with an ICE bail hold. Ge and Gou are currently jailed with a $45,000 bail hold each.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office reminds residents that these types of scams happen every day and are becoming increasingly common. 

“We encourage residents to remain vigilant and be aware that these scams are rampant in our society today. Always be skeptical and suspicious of any email, text message, or phone call from someone you do not recognize,” said DCSO.

Some of the more common scams are callers who claim that you have won a prize, that you owe someone money, that you have a warrant for your arrest, or a relative has been arrested and needs money for bail or legal fees.

If you suspect fraud, contact the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office immediately.