Suspect in elaborate fraud scheme arrested in Walla Walla
By Dan Thesman on Friday, September 12th, 2025 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
WALLA WALLA – Jingbing Xue, 44, from Federal Way, was arrested by Walla Walla police on Wednesday for being part of an elaborate fraud scheme. He was taken into custody following a pursuit that ended in a crash south of the Walla Walla city limits.
On Monday, a Walla Walla resident reported to police that they had been scammed on Aug. 27 when their laptop showed a pop-up warning about a scam. The victim called a number provided in the message and was connected to a woman who claimed to offer technical help. This woman reportedly accessed the victim’s computer to gather personal information which was then used by the scammers.
The victim then spoke to a man pretending to be a bank employee. He told the victim that their bank account had been hacked and that they needed to withdraw money to prevent it from being stolen by dishonest bank employees. The victim was persuaded to withdraw over $45,000 and hand it over to couriers who came to pick it up after the victim sent photo confirmations. Before the victim could withdraw an additional $35,000, a bank manager suspected fraud and alerted the police, leading the victim to report the scam.
Detectives continued communicating with the scammer, setting up a trap by staging a fake pickup of the money. On Wednesday, Xue allegedly arrived to collect what he believed was $35,000 in cash, but it was actually a box filled with paper. When police attempted to stop his vehicle, Xue fled but ultimately crashed in a field and was arrested. Xue provided the name he was using at the time of arrest, but police are investigating to confirm his actual identity. He was booked for conspiracy to commit theft, criminal impersonation, and attempting to elude police. Charges have not yet been filed.
Xue made his first court appearance Thursday afternoon in Walla Walla County Superior Court. Walla Walla County Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney April King told the court that Xue is a foreign national and was removed from this country in 2023. King said Xue has no ties to the local area and is also the subject of a Pierce County investigation on similar criminal allegations.
Walla Walla County Superior Court Judge Patricia Fulton set Xue’s bail at $75,000 with no cash alternative. He is to surrender his passport upon release from custody and commit no criminal violations. His arraignment is set for this coming Monday at 1:30 p.m.
WWPD said the investigation continues, and warns residents to be cautious of unsolicited communications from banks. Law enforcement officers emphasize that legitimate banks will never ask customers to withdraw cash for a third party and urge anyone who suspects they are being scammed to contact their bank and local law enforcement immediately.
Photo via Walla Walla Police Department
