Vile scammer called ‘Little Tiger’ nailed in insanely brazen scheme — after appearing in viral YouTube clip
A Chinese national who became widely known after appearing in a viral YouTube sting has admitted to orchestrating a large-scale fraud operation targeting older Americans.
Jiandong Chen, 42, nicknamed “Little Tiger,” pleaded guilty in federal court to participating in a $27 million scheme involving both fraud and money laundering, according to federal prosecutors.
Investigators said the criminal network operated between 2021 and 2023, victimizing over 2,000 people, many of whom were in their 70s and 80s. The scams included fake tech support calls, impersonating banks and government agencies, and “refund” schemes designed to trick victims into sending money they were told they owed but never actually received.
Chen was among five individuals charged in a case that became public in 2024. He was arrested in the Los Angeles area in August of that year as part of a nationwide crackdown. He faces sentencing on June 26, with potential penalties of up to 40 years in prison for conspiracy to commit fraud and up to 20 years for money laundering conspiracy.
The case attracted attention after Chen appeared in a YouTube video titled “CONFRONTING SCAMMERS WITH A FAKE FUNERAL (EPIC REACTIONS),” which has garnered over 1 million views. In the video, Chen visits what he believes is the home of an elderly victim to collect money, only to be confronted by content creators staging a sting. During the encounter, he relied on translation tools and insisted he only spoke Chinese.
According to prosecutors, victims were often first contacted through unsolicited calls, emails, or pop-up messages, which directed them to call centers based in India. Scammers used social engineering to build trust and sometimes convinced victims to install remote access software, giving the scammers control over their computers.
One of the most common methods was the refund scam. Victims were told they had received an overpayment and were instructed to return the nonexistent excess funds, either by wiring money or sending cash through the mail.
Once trust was established, Chen and other members of the scheme directed victims to send money to various U.S. locations, including Southern California and Nevada, with some cash picked up in person. Stolen funds were also moved using cryptocurrency, which facilitated payments to co-conspirators, transfers overseas, and travel expenses related to the operation.
Chen now awaits sentencing, and while his viral moment brought public attention, federal prosecutors emphasize that the financial crimes could carry far more serious consequences.
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