North Bay sheriff foils $30,000 scam against elderly woman

(KRON) — An East Bay man was arrested by the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office after allegedly attempting to defraud an elderly woman of tens of thousands of dollars, authorities announced Monday.

The victim alerted detectives to a scam phone call she received where the suspects “were attempting to defraud her of $30,000,” SCSO said. After detectives coordinated with the woman, they watched a man arrive and take a box from the victim that he believed contained cash, according to the sheriff’s office.

Detectives moved in to arrest the man, who was identified by authorities as Ronghe Ruan of San Leandro. More evidence of fraud from other victims was located in his vehicle, the sheriff’s office said.

Ruan was booked into the Sonoma County Jail for elder abuse, theft by false pretenses, grand theft and conspiracy.

The sheriff’s office is alerting the public that these cash scams are “increasingly occurring all over the Bay Area.”