Police recover money stolen from elderly Pleasant Hill resident in $350,000 crypto scam
By Tim Fang
Nearly four years after an East Bay woman was victimized in a six-figure cryptocurrency investment scam, police said much of the money has been recovered.
According to the Pleasant Hill Police Department the victim came forward in March 2022, saying she lost $350,000 in the scam. The woman was 70 years old at the time.
Police said an unknown person posing as a male approached the victim online. The suspect convinced her to invest her life savings in the scheme.
During the investigation, Detective Steven Vuong began tracking the cryptocurrency. With the help of the United States Secret Service, Vuong located what police described as the “majority” of funds in a digital wallet.
Vuong monitored the inactive wallet until Sep. 2025, more than three years after the scam was first reported. When the wallet became active, the funds were frozen and eventually seized.
“This is an excellent example of good policework yielding a very positive outcome,” Chief Scott Vermillion said in a statement. “We are happy to be able to return these funds to the victim, and I congratulate Detective Vuong on the outstanding work he put into this case.”
Police said the funds were transferred back to the victim and her family on Dec. 31.
Additional details about the suspect were not immediately available.
Anyone who may have been the victim of a scam is urged to contact Pleasant Hill police at 925-288-4600.
