BEAUMONT, Texas — Two men remain in the Jefferson County Jail after Beaumont police say they were caught in the middle of a scam that cost a Southeast Texas man $20,000.

The men, who have been identifed as Jiexi Fan and Zhenxiang Yang, were arrested last week and charged with felony theft, according to police. Investigators said the pair tried to extort an additional $30,000 from the same victim before they were taken into custody. Both are being held on $200,000 bonds.

Police said the case began last Tuesday when a Beaumont man received an email claiming he had received a $50,000 refund from a subscription service. The message told him the refund was an error and demanded repayment in cash.

“The scammers allegedly told him it was an error, and that they needed the money back, in cash

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