Two New York Men Arrested in $70,000 Fraud Scheme in Habersham County
HABERSHAM COUNTY, GA – A judge has denied bond for two New York men accused of scamming a Cornelia resident out of tens of thousands of dollars in an elaborate fraud scheme.
On Friday, September 26, 2025, deputies with the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office responded to a fraud call at a home outside Cornelia. The victim reported losing $40,000 in cash the previous day to suspects posing as PayPal representatives, and was in the process of preparing another $30,000 withdrawal when a family member intervened and contacted authorities.
The suspects, identified as Ying Chen, 39, of Elmhurst, N.Y., and Jian Jun Zhan, 34, of Brooklyn, N.Y., are each charged with theft by deception.
Investigators say the scam began when the victim received a suspicious email claiming his PayPal account was frozen due to a $399.99 transaction. Instead of calling the number in the email, the victim searched online and dialed what he believed was a PayPal customer service line. A man who identified himself as “Peter” instructed the victim to withdraw cash and hand it over to someone who would provide a secret passcode.
On September 25, the victim followed those instructions, turning over $40,000 in cash to a man who came to his home. The next day, the suspects allegedly attempted to collect another $30,000, but bank staff alerted a family member who then called 911.
Deputies, with assistance from a Baldwin police officer, stopped a grey Toyota Sienna van with New York plates. Chen, who was driving, and Zhan, the passenger, were taken into custody. Authorities seized the van, four cell phones, Zhan’s wallet with bank cards, and nearly $4,000 in cash.
Both men were arrested Friday and remain in custody after a Habersham County judge denied bond on September 29.
The Sheriff’s Office says the investigation is ongoing and no further details are being released at this time.
