N.Y. woman charged in scam that tricked Clairton man out of $19,000

Allegheny County police charged a New York woman with the theft of more than $19,000 from a Clairton man.

On April 17, Clairton police requested the assistance of the Allegheny County Police Department’s General Investigations Unit after a person reported being scammed.

Detectives learned the victim had clicked a link on his computer for a coupon. The victim’s computer malfunctioned, and a pop-up window directed him to call a number for assistance.

The victim said he was told over the phone that his bank account had been hacked and more than $19,000 worth of charges were pending on his account, police said. The victim was convinced to withdraw the money from his account and meet up with an individual, later identified as Rachel Chen, 25, of Staten Island, N.Y., to exchange the money that the victim believed would be going into a new bank account.

Chen was part of a group that targeted the man, police said.

Detectives discovered Chen was arrested for a similar theft scam in New Hampshire on March 14 and investigators recovered multiple pieces of evidence linking Chen to the theft in Clairton, police said.

She is charged with receiving stolen property, theft by deception and criminal conspiracy. Chen is currently being held in New Hampshire.

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