Whatcom County fraud suspect rearrested after scam costs resident nearly $800K
A California man previously arrested for scamming vulnerable adults has been charged with defrauding three Washington residents of a combined $1 million.
The Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office and Department of Homeland Security began investigating Xiaobin Zhou, 56, in May 2025, according to WCSO.
He was arrested May 20, 2025 on suspicion of scamming a Whatcom County resident out of $100,000 by pretending to be an agent working for “David Freeman” from the Federal Office of the Inspector General. He was charged with five counts of first-degree theft of a vulnerable adult and two counts of first-degree criminal impersonation.
Zhou’s brother was later arrested and charged in relation to the same conspiracy. Both posted bail, and the cases are ongoing.
WCSO said they continued to investigate Zhou in the meantime and uncovered another alleged scheme to defraud people. This time, victims clicked a link that allowed Zhou to access their computer. The victims were then told to withdraw cash to be picked up by a courier, and instructed not to tell police or relatives.
One 86-year-old individual lost nearly $800,000 to the scheme.
Zhou was arrested Wednesday and charged with five counts of first-degree theft exceeding $5,000. He remains in custody in lieu of a $500,000 bond.