By Jim Emerson
SAN RAFAEL, CA — Marin County Sheriff’s Office investigators arrested an Uber driver
suspected of defrauding Marin County victims with financial scams.
Zhuowen Yu, a 43-year-old resident of San Francisco, remains in custody ineligible for release on bond.
Yu was placed under arrest March 4 at 7:17 p.m. at the Travelodge hotel, 326 South Airport
Boulevard, South San Francisco.
He is now housed at Marin County Jail. Yu has been denied bail, due to his potential access to illegally obtained cash, and alleged connection to a
criminal enterprise.
Yu allegedly targeted senior citizens with a scam and defrauded Marin residents of $64,000
in cash. One of the victims is a resident of San Rafael and a second victim lives in Point
Reyes Station. The sheriff’s office said in a prepared statement that its investigation is
ongoing to identify more victims.
The two known victims received false notifications that their Apple ID or Adobe Acrobat
accounts were comprised. They were advised next to “protect their bank accounts” by
withdrawing their money for a courier to collect from them.
Automated license plate readers helped investigators to identify Yu’s vehicle—evidently used
to pick up cash from the victims. The sheriff’s office collaborated with other law enforcement
agencies to find Yu’s vehicle. South San Francisco police found his vehicle near the hotel,
and detained Yu for the sheriff’s office to arrest him.
Yu was booked on open charges for grand theft, embezzlement of an elder, and conspiracy to
commit crime. His vehicle was towed and impounded by the sheriff’s office as evidence.
