By WMBD
SPRINGFIELD – The Springfield FBI office released information on Monday about a new scam targeting Chinese Communities and students visiting the U.S.
Criminals will pose as law enforcement from China to defraud victims by telling the victims that they are under criminal investigation in China and must pay to avoid arrest or deportation.
“This complex scam consists of multiple layers and perpetrators, making it extremely convincing to victims,” said FBI Springfield Field Office Special Agent in Charge David Nanz. “By creating public awareness, we hope to educate Chinese communities about this threat and empower victims to file a report or contact FBI Springfield.”
The scheme consists of four phases:
- Initial Contact: Criminals will spoof their phone numbers to reach out to victims as a business or Chinese Embassies about a minor issue, like an outstanding credit card balance.
- Scare Tactics: The caller will transfer the call to a second person pretending to be a police officer from China, and will tell the victim about alleged crimes and provide fake arrest warrants, and will pressure the victim to return to China to face trial or threaten to arrest them.
- Surveillance of the victim: The scammers will attempt to force the victim to consent to 24/7 audio and video monitoring, and will tell the victims not to discuss the case or conduct internet searches. They may also request their victims to investigate other victims or receive cryptocurrency or wire transfers.
- Extortion of the victims: The scammers will request their victims to wire money to a Chinese bank account to prove their innocence or to post bail to avoid having to return to China. They may also force their victims to serve as money mules or facilitate scams against others.
To protect yourself, the FBI encourages people to not share personal or financial information with anyone who accuses you of a crime over the phone. If you want to double-check if the agencies contacting you is legitimate, you can hang up and re-call them.
If anyone claims to be contacting you from law enforcement from another country, you can reach out to the FBI. Foreign government officials conducting legitimate law enforcement activity in the U.S. must act in coordination with U.S. federal authorities.
Victims should report fraudulent or suspicious activities to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.
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