South Portland detectives arrest N.Y. man accused in $125,000 phone scam
South Portland Man Arrested in $125,000 Phone‑Scam Plot
South Portland – A Brooklyn native was taken into custody on Tuesday after police determined he was part of a phone‑scam scheme that cost a South Portland resident more than $125,000. The arrest, made by the South Portland Police Department (SPPD), was the latest in a series of similar frauds the department says has spiked in the region.
Detective John Harrington, who was on the case, said the scam began when the victim, a long‑time South Portland resident, received a call from someone claiming to be an agent of the U.S. Marshals Service. The caller told the man that his Social Security number had been compromised and that unauthorized purchases were being made in his name. To halt the fraud, the “agent” insisted the victim must hand cash over to undercover federal agents.
The victim complied, meeting two different men at separate locations to pay the demanded sums. Each meeting ended with the delivery of a receipt, the police say. “The victim was convinced this was a legitimate investigation, and proceeded with the requests,” the SPPD released.
The second round of demands led the victim to a Lowe’s parking lot in Scarborough on Tuesday, where he was approached by Jian Chen, 49, of Brooklyn, New York. Chen’s appearance at the parking lot was observed by a team of detectives who had been tracking the victim’s movements. The man was detained on the scene and taken to the Cumberland County Jail without incident.
“Detectives believe Chen is part of a large‑scale fraud ring that has been targeting residents in our area,” Harrington told the press. “We are continuing to investigate other suspected participants.”
Police officials noted that the victim’s story matches a pattern that has emerged across New England: fraudsters posing as law‑enforcement officers, promising to “clean up” a victim’s account in exchange for cash. The SPPD warned residents to hang up if they receive a call from someone claiming to be a federal agent. “No law‑enforcement agency will demand cash payments via call, text or email, or ask someone to pay fines with gift cards,” the department stated. “We also advise that law‑enforcement agencies do not request financial information over the phone.”
The victim’s loss, estimated at over $125,000, is the largest single amount reported to the SPPD in a single scam. Police are encouraging anyone who may have been targeted by a similar scheme to contact local law enforcement promptly.
The case has brought renewed attention to the region’s vulnerability to sophisticated phishing and phone‑scam tactics. The SPPD, in cooperation with the Maine State Police and the FBI, is expanding its outreach to educate the public on how to recognize and avoid these frauds.
For those who believe they are being scammed, the SPPD’s advice remains straightforward: end the call immediately and report the incident to local police or the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). The department’s goal is to prevent further losses and to bring the perpetrators behind the scenes to justice.
