LOS ANGELES — Weird texts were the first clue that something sinister had happened to an elderly Rancho Cucamonga man linked to a vast cryptocurrency fortune.

They began with robotic responses in a family group chat, included an uncharacteristic refusal to visit his grandkids and were followed by complete silence.

Now, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department is investigating the mysterious disappearance of 74-year-old Naiping Hou, father of noted cryptocurrency investor Wen Hou.

Detectives believe that someone used the elder Hou's cellphone to impersonate him. Extensive fraudulent transactions were also made using his bank account around the time of his disappearance, according to the Sheriff's Department.

Wen Hou said that more than $1 million was siphoned from his father's savings and used to purchase gold bars online.

The younger Hou believes his father has been kidnapped and is personally offering a reward of up to $250,000 for information that leads to his father's return or identifies those responsible for his disappearance.

"We really are devastated, really sad, and we want him back if possible," Wen Hou told the Los Angeles Times. "We are pretty upset about how this was discovered so late and a bit upset about ourselves that we didn't find these clues earlier."

Wen Hou last saw his father in March when they rented a boat at the San Pedro Pier and went on a family fishing trip.

The bizarre texts began in April, but it wasn't until Naiping Hou's birthday on May 3 that his son began to suspect someone else was controlling his father's phone.

The elder Hou had declined via text to come visit his son and grandchildren at their Las Vegas residence on his birthday, so Wen Hou overnighted him a traditional gift of handmade Chinese noodles. Whoever was controlling his phone refused to answer any calls on the birthday and, instead of thanking Wen Hou for the gift, simply texted at 9:18 p.m.: "Yes I receive it."

The following morning, Wen Hou asked family friends to go check in on his father in Rancho Cucamonga. They found the noodle package sitting on the stoop and made an even more shocking discovery inside.

The home was stripped of all its furniture and had a shoddy new paint job on the interior walls, Wen Hou said. His father's cars were missing from his garage, and the man himself was nowhere to be seen.

Wen Hou reported his father's disappearance to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department on May 4.

The elder Hou's wife was visiting family in China when he is believed to have gone missing, according to his family. While abroad she received a text from Hou's phone telling her to cancel her flight home, saying that he would come join her in Asia.

Detectives say they are currently following several leads but are unable to share further information as the investigation is ongoing.

They are asking the public to keep an eye out for the 5-foot-7 Asian male, who has black hair, black eyes, a birthmark on his left upper shoulder and weighs around 170 pounds. They are also seeking information about a silver Toyota Yaris in connection to Hou's disappearance.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Detective Vanayes Quezada at (909) 890-4848.

Frustrated by the lack of updates in the investigation, Wen Hou launched a website this week dedicated to raising awareness about his father's disappearance. The family is asking the public to share information via text, WhatsApp or Signal to their personal tip line at (213) 564-9366.

"We're really sad and it feels terrible to wait and very devastating to experience this," said Wen Hou.

Although Wen Hou doesn't know who is behind the possible crimes against his father, he fears that contractors who performed work on Hou's home at the beginning of the year may have preyed on his father or even kidnapped him.

"I hope this serves as a caution for elderly people," he said, adding that his father's disappearance has opened his eyes to how common it is for criminals to take advantage of the elderly.

Wen Hou is a well-known hedge fund and cryptocurrency investor who serves as the chief investment officer at Coincident Capital.

In 2021, he spent $9.7 million on a Bel-Air home, according to reporting from the Real Deal. In 2022, he and his wife gifted $1.1 million in cryptocurrency to the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine to support research on heart disease.

Wen Hou credits much of his success to the lessons taught to him by his father, who was born in the Shaanxi province of China and immigrated to the San Gabriel Valley in pursuit of a better life for his children.

"My journey has been a long one, and it started with my father's decision to move to the U.S.," Hou told USC in 2022. "I am thankful to him for giving me the opportunity to thrive in the U.S. and allowing me to reach my potential, which has resulted in this gift."

Through shrewd business decisions, Naiping Hou did well financially and retired comfortably — achieving what Wen Hou considers the American dream, he said. The elder Hou is a family man and enjoys hobbies such as ping-pong, woodworking and fishing.

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