Criminals posing as Chinese police steal hundreds of thousands of dollars
Scammers posing as Chinese police and threatening international students with arrest defrauded four victims of nearly $800,000 using different tricks in Sydney this month, police said.
Victims reported being contacted by phone or messaging apps, including WeChat, by a stranger claiming to be a police officer or Chinese government official who falsely told them a crime was suspected.
NSW Police said scammers told victims they had to transfer money or cryptocurrency or they would be arrested.
Cyber Crime Squad Commander Detective Superintendent Matthew Craft said there had been an increase in reports of criminals targeting Chinese citizens in the inner city, south and east.
“These threats may seem real, but they are not. Do not send money to people you do not know,” Craft said.
In one case, a person claiming to be from a Chinese health insurance company contacted a 22-year-old Sydney woman to say she might be in trouble with the police. He was transferred to another person who claimed to be a police officer and said the phone number was linked to a “known terrorist” wanted for financial crimes.
Police said the woman, who lives in Sydney’s east, reported giving more than $400,000 after scammers told her they would issue a warrant for her arrest if she did not send money.
Another man, 23, reported losing $301,000 after receiving a call on May 7 from someone claiming to work for the Victoria Department of Health. He was transferred to a man who said he was suspected of money laundering and needed to cooperate with an investigation, after which the man was instructed to delete his social media profile and phone call records.
A 21-year-old woman was scammed out of $80,000 after scammers contacted her on WeChat and convinced her that they needed to transfer money to help investigate an alleged criminal. In another case, a 20-year-old college student sent $7,200 via WeChat after a fake police officer threatened to arrest him.
Craft said scammers are becoming increasingly sophisticated in targeting victims.
“They will use a variety of tactics, including threats of arrest, to scare victims into acting quickly to get them to pay.
“I would ask anyone who receives a call like this to be suspicious, hang up the phone, and report it to the authorities,” Craft said.
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