美國紐約州拿騷縣近日爆出一起驚人的跨州洗錢與詐騙案件。檢方與警方聯合宣布，7名華人男子因涉嫌策劃並執行一項規模高達2,000萬美元的詐騙行動而遭到起訴。此案的受害者多達1,800人，遍布全美45個州，其中絕大多數是老年人，顯示出犯罪分子專門針對弱勢群體下手。

根據檢方的調查，這個犯罪團伙的手法相當卑劣，他們透過電腦網絡散發恐嚇性郵件與簡訊，聲稱受害者的個人資訊被用於購買兒童色情內容，若不立刻處理，將會面臨法律制裁。驚慌失措的受害者被迫撥打對方提供的電話號碼，而詐騙者則假冒技術支援人員或執法機關，藉由恐懼心理一步步誘導受害者購買Home Depot與Lowe’s等大型連鎖店的高額禮品卡，並將卡號交出。

實際上，這些禮品卡並未用於任何所謂的“清理電腦”，而是被詐騙者立即用來大量購買銅管、鋼纜、熱水器等高價建材，隨後再以低價轉售給當地的管道與家裝供應商，以此牟取巨額暴利。警方指出，僅在紐約州一地，就有超過6,000筆涉案交易，涉及80多家Home Depot與Lowe’s門店。調查中還揭露出一個令人震驚的細節：其中一名嫌疑人林天（音譯）竟在短短一天內使用50多張禮品卡，購買價值5萬美元的銅管，顯示出行動的高頻率與高效率。

這樁案件之所以能被突破，源於Home Depot安全部門對異常交易的敏感監測。他們發現，部分禮品卡在被購買後，幾乎立刻就被用於高額建材的採購，這種不尋常的模式最終觸發連鎖警報，讓警方得以追查線索。經過長達15個月的深入調查，警方查獲以卡車計算的建材、大量贓款現金、高檔珠寶以及奢侈手袋，徹底揭露了這個龐大詐騙網絡的運作方式。

目前，7名嫌疑人已被控以洗錢罪與共謀罪，若罪名成立，最高可能面臨15年的監禁。然而，由於紐約州現行的“無現金保釋”政策，其中6人已經獲釋，只需佩戴電子腳鐐便能回家，這一結果令警方極為不滿。拿騷縣警察局長帕特里克·萊德（Patrick Ryder）直言不諱地表示：“我們有成千上萬的受害者，而這些騙子卻能輕易回家，這對受害者來說是二次傷害。”

檢方和警方同時呼籲社會大眾，特別是老年人群體，要對此類詐騙保持高度警惕。他們提醒，若有人自稱政府官員、銀行人員或軟體公司員工，要求以禮品卡支付費用，務必立即掛斷電話，因為這絕對是騙局。地方檢察官安妮·唐納利（Anne Donnelly）更是強調：“他們利用恐懼心理操縱受害者，其實這完全就是一場徹頭徹尾的騙局。”

這起案件的曝光不僅揭示跨州詐騙團伙的惡劣手法，也再次警醒社會：在數位時代，守護資訊與財產安全尤為重要，尤其是對於最容易成為目標的老年人而言，如何防範詐騙更是一堂無法忽視的課題。

A shocking case of cross-state money laundering and fraud has recently come to light in Nassau County, New York. Prosecutors and police jointly announced that seven Chinese men have been indicted for orchestrating a massive $20 million fraud scheme. The case involves over 1,800 victims across 45 U.S. states, with the majority being elderly, highlighting how the criminals deliberately preyed on vulnerable groups.

According to the investigation, the fraudsters employed a particularly malicious tactic. They sent threatening emails and text messages through the internet, claiming that the victims’ personal information had been used to purchase child pornography. Victims were told they faced legal consequences unless they acted immediately. Terrified, many dialed the phone numbers provided, only to encounter scammers posing as technical support or law enforcement officers. These impostors then pressured the victims into purchasing high-value gift cards from major chains such as Home Depot and Lowe’s, instructing them to hand over the codes.

In reality, these gift cards were not used for any so-called “computer cleanup.” Instead, the scammers quickly used them to purchase large quantities of high-priced building materials, including copper pipes, steel cables, and water heaters. The materials were then resold at discounted prices to local plumbing and home improvement suppliers, generating enormous illicit profits. Police revealed that in New York State alone, there were more than 6,000 fraudulent transactions involving over 80 Home Depot and Lowe’s stores. One suspect, identified as Lin Tian (transliteration), astonishingly used more than 50 gift cards in a single day to buy $50,000 worth of copper pipes—illustrating the scale and intensity of the operation.

The breakthrough in the case came from Home Depot’s security team, who noticed suspicious patterns. They observed that some gift cards were being redeemed almost immediately after purchase, and often for high-value building materials. This anomaly triggered alerts that eventually led investigators to uncover the fraud network. After a 15-month investigation, authorities seized truckloads of building materials, more than $100,000 in cash, as well as luxury jewelry and designer handbags—all identified as stolen assets.

The seven suspects now face charges of money laundering and conspiracy. If convicted, they could receive sentences of up to 15 years in prison. However, due to New York’s “cashless bail” policy, six of them have already been released, required only to wear electronic monitoring devices—a decision that has drawn sharp criticism from law enforcement. Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder bluntly stated: “We have thousands of victims, yet these scammers get to walk home. This is a second wound to the victims.”

Authorities have also issued strong warnings to the public, especially the elderly. They emphasized that if anyone claiming to be from the government, a bank, or a software company asks for payment via gift cards, the call should be immediately disconnected. Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly stressed: “They exploited fear to manipulate people into paying. In reality, this was nothing but an outright scam.”

The case not only exposes the ruthless methods of cross-state fraud rings but also serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need to safeguard personal and financial security in the digital age. For elderly individuals in particular—the most frequent targets—awareness and prevention of scams have become lessons of critical importance.