The owners of a Rockledge sushi restaurant have been charged with scamming seniors out of thousands of dollars across multiple states according to a Wisconsin police department.
The couple, identified as Mei Dong, 36, and Dong Dong Ye, 38, were arrested by Brevard County deputies on June 25 after being served a fugitive warrant. The couple owns Da Sushi on Barnes Boulevard in Rockledge. According to an investigative report, the two hacked into elderly people’s computers and convinced them to send thousands of dollars in gift cards. One 76-year-old man from Elm Grove, Wisconsin, sent the couple $4,300 worth of gift cards after his computer was hacked in September 2023, according to the Elm Grove Police Department The man’s computer screen went dark until a message box appeared instructing him to purchase Lowe’s and Home Depot gift cards to fix the problem.
After the victim sent the gift cards, the messages then demanded a $10,000 wire payment to a California bank, which the man sent, according to the affidavit.
Police were able to trace the records of the gift cards to the purchase of a $10,000 golf cart at a Lowe’s location in Rockledge, and used surveillance footage to link the purchase to Mei Dong and Dong Dong Ye.
According to police reports, there may have been more victims sending to money to the couple or their associates across the Midwest, where multiple people reported sending tens of thousands in wire transfers. One woman told police she sent more than $75,000 in one of the scams.
Both suspects, who must appear before a judge in Wisconsin to face theft and false representation charges, have posted bond and are not currently being held at the Brevard County Jail.
Tyler Vazquez is the Brevard County Watchdog Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Vazquez at 321-480-0854 or tvazquez@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @tyler_vazquez
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Owners of Rockledge sushi restaurant accused of scamming thousands from Wisconsin victim
Reporting by Tyler Vazquez, Florida Today / Florida Today
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
