Two men charged with scamming elderly woman out of $17,000 in Lake County

Two out-of-state men face theft charges in Lake County after sheriff’s detectives arrested them Monday on suspicion of scamming an elderly woman out of $17,000.

Police say that after first contacting the 80-year-old Green Oaks woman by email, Danny Paio, 29, of New York, New York, and Chul Paik, 44, of Englewood, New Jersey, convinced her by phone that they worked with PayPal and made reference to what seemed to be a $760 purchase. Then, they were able to gain access to her bank accounts and move money around to convince her that PayPal accidentally refunded her too much money, the report said.

They instructed her to withdraw $17,000 in cash and on Sept. 8, they drove a rental vehicle to the senior center where she lived to collect the money.

After the fraud was discovered, Lake County detectives using license plate readers, identified the rental car linked to the suspects, and on Monday, Elmhurst police officers spotted the plate and conducted a traffic stop. Lake County officers responded and arrested the men after interviewing them.

Police said they found $16,000 in cash in the rental car and believed it was proceeds from a previous fraudulent pickup.

The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office authorized two cases of fraud, a Class 2 felony, against the two men.

“This case is another reminder of how far criminals will go to target and exploit vulnerable victims,” Sheriff John D. Idleburg said. “I am proud of the work of our detectives, who quickly identified and apprehended these suspects, and I am grateful for the ongoing collaboration we have with our partners across the region.”