SJPD Investigating Grand Theft Involving Email Scam

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

On January 18, 2024, at approximately 2:23 PM, San José Police Department Patrol Officers responded to a report of a grand theft that occurred in the 500 block of E. Alma Avenue. The reporting party was a victim of a scam known as a "Business Email Compromise". A Business Email Compromise occurs when a suspect hacks into a business email account. The suspect then sends updated payment information to the business' customers, effectively rerouting payments to the suspect's account.

In this case, the suspect communicated with the victim via email, posing as an employee of a business known to the victim. The suspect instructed the victim to send a wire transfer for an invoice of approximately $500,000. The victim did not know that they were being scammed until after the bank wire transfer was completed.

Fraud Detectives from the San José Police Department Financial Crimes Unit conducted a thorough investigation, identifying one of the suspects responsible for the scam as Aleida Torres, and recovered approximately $400,000 of the stolen funds. An arrest warrant for Aleida Torres has been issued.

Business Email Compromise scams have become more common over the last few years, both locally and nationally. In some cases, many of the perpetrators are located in other countries. The San José Police Department Financial Crimes Unit would like to remind the public of the importance of implementing cybersecurity measures when doing business online.

To report a financial crime including forgery, fraud or ID theft, please complete an Online Crime/ Incident Report or call (408) 277-8900.

Anyone with information on this investigation is urged to contact Detective Wellman #4447 of the San José Police Department's Financial Crimes Unit at 4447@sanjoseca.gov or 408-277-4654.

Submit crime tips and remain anonymous by using the P3TIPS mobile app, calling the tip line at (408) 947-STOP, or on www.siliconvalleycrimestoppers.org. If the information you submit leads to an arrest, you are eligible for a cash reward from the Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers Program.