WESTFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) – Two men are facing charges after a man was reportedly scammed out of money.

Westfield Police said an elderly victim told them Friday that he received an unsolicited text message Thursday that contained a phone number and stated his ‘Apple Account’ had been charged for a new iPhone. The victim called the number and the scam reportedly involved someone on the other end of the phone pretending to be an investigator for the victim’s bank and telling him that his bank account had been comprised.

“The scammer told the victim that he needed to withdraw funds from his bank account in order to protect them,” police explained, adding that the victim was also told not to tell anyone about the call in order to protect the investigation on the premise that it was an “inside job.”

The victim reportedly withdrew a large sum of money and a man arrived at the victim’s home Thursday. The victim handed a bag of money to the man, who then left.

The victim was contacted by the alleged scammer again for more money on Friday. The victim then contacted Westfield Police who, with assistance of Westfield State University Police, conducted a sting operation and arrested Xiaoming Chen and Weilun Wu, both of Brooklyn NY. Xiaoming Chen is facing charges including larceny over $1,200 by false pretense, attempt to commit crime, conspiracy, and possession of cocaine. Weilun Wu has been charged with attempt to commit crime and conspiracy.

Police noted that it’s believed there are other suspects involved and the investigation remains active and ongoing. They added that no legitimate government agency or bank investigator will tell someone over the phone to withdraw your money. “Sending cash via a courier or through the mail or depositing your money into a Bitcoin ATM are all sure signs of a scam,” they explained.

Copyright 2026 Western Mass News (WGGB/WSHM). All rights reserved.