Victoria Police is issuing a refreshed warning about a scam that continues to target the Mandarin-speaking community via phone and social media networks such as WeChat and WhatsApp.
The scam, which operates worldwide, has seen victims in Victoria and across Australia, lose significant sums of money after speaking to callers who pretend to be officials from courier services, government officials and police.
Victoria Police first received reports of the scam in July 2017, with scammers predominantly targeting Chinese nations who come to Victoria to attend university.
However recently police have seen scammers broaden their scheme to target an increasing number of victims who are not part of the Chinese student population.
Detectives now estimate at least 20 per cent of victims are from outside the student population, with police now urging people across the broader Chinese community to be aware they may be targeted.
In 2024, police received almost 200 reports of this scam in Victoria with victims suffering an estimated financial loss of over $7M.
These sophisticated scams generally include a message or call claiming to be a courier service, Chinese police or Chinese official with the purpose of extorting money.
The scam can include:
• An intercepted parcel addressed to you, containing compromised documents;
• Your personal details being known;
• A threat of charges or arrest warrant against you or your family;
• Direction to go to a website purporting to be a Chinese authority to obtain a phone number;
• Production of apparent Chinese authority documents including an arrest warrant;
• Communication and monitoring maintained via online apps; and
• A request to transfer money into Chinese bank account/s to avoid prosecution.
Scammers have also provided direction to victims which including gagging and binding themselves and creating a fake crime scene.
Criminals instruct the students to photograph and / or record themselves and to send the photographs / footage to them via an encrypted application.
The scammers then convince students to contact their parents, either directly or through a third party, to inform them that they are being held hostage and demanding money be transferred into a bank account.
In two recent cases involving victims who were not a Chinese student, police identified the following:
• A 19-year-old Carlton woman was contacted by a scammer saying her personal information was leaked on the internet. She was transferred to the public security of a Chinese district and then spoke to a person purporting to be a public official who informed her identification was linked to a money laundering investigation. She was told a warrant had been issued for her arrest and to ask for a reprieve from the prosecutor. The victim was asked to have her parents transfer $50,000 under the pretext of student fees in order to have the arrest warrant cancelled. Money was subsequently transferred to the scammers banks account/s in China.
• A 41-year-old West Melbourne woman was contacted by a scammer purporting to be from Vodafone, saying a phone number in her name was sending false information and to report it to police. She was told the number was purchased at Beijing Airport and she was transferred directly to the Beijing Chaoyang Police. Scammers impersonating police told her she had been implicated in a money laundering case by a bank account in her name. She was threatened to be arrested and sent back to China if she didn't pay a prosecutor pending trial. She subsequently transferred $57,000 into a Hong Kong bank account.
These scams are aggressive and elaborate, leaving victims feeling frightened and intimidated. Scammers aim to instil fear in their victims when by claiming to be government officials, exploiting victims' trust in authority.
Many of these scams involve offenders stealing hundreds of thousands, and sometimes millions, of dollars from their victims and their families with this money never recovered.
Importantly, visitors or Chinese students who find themselves a victim of this scam should understand that reporting the scam to Victoria Police will not have any impact on their Visa.
While most cases involve scammers operating overseas, Victoria Police have also charged people operating the scam in Victoria.
If you are approached by someone in these circumstances or who you believe to be a scammer:
• Do not continue any conversations that you suspect are scams;
• Do not send any money to people who say they are Chinese police or government officials; and
• Do not reveal any personal information such as your address, bank accounts or other contact details.
If you are unsure:
• Report any suspicious scam or behaviour to Victoria Police and ReportCyber;
• Speak with friends and family about the scam for support and guidance; and
• Contact the Chinese consulate for advice and further assistance with reporting.
Anyone who believes they have been a victim of this scam is encouraged to submit an initial report via the ReportCyber website. This will collect your details and send them to police for further assessment.
To help with the investigation, police encourage the community to keep records of the conversations by taking screen shots of messages and retain phone call records.
Anyone who believes they are in danger and needs immediate police assistance should call triple zero (000).
For advice on scams, visit the Scamwatch website, which has information about current scams in Chinese languages.
Victoria Police has also developed a fact sheet about these scams, which is available in both English and Mandarin, on the Victoria Police website: https://www.police.vic.gov.au/scams-targeting-mandarin-speaking-communi…
If you have any other information about this scam and wish to remain anonymous, you can call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential online report at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au
Quotes attributable to Detective Inspector Damien Jones, Financial Crime Squad:
"If you are contacted by anyone claiming to be a Chinese government official, do not comply with their demands and never transfer money or provide personal details to anyone who requests it over the phone unless you made the call yourself."
"If you are unsure, then talk it over with someone you trust, or the police, before taking any action."
"Victoria Police is urging the community to be vigilant and to have conversations with their friends and family so everyone is aware that this is a current and very common scam."
"We understand that victims may be hesitant to report these crimes to police, however Victoria Police will assist anyone who is being subjected to these scams.
"Victoria Police is treating these offences as extremely serious, and we understand that overseas visitors or international students may not be familiar with the services available to them in Victoria.
"We urge all of you, do not be embarrassed to speak to police. In reporting these crimes to police, you are also helping us form intelligence to investigate, catch those responsible and prevent this from happening to others in future."
