The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Philadelphia office issued a warning on January 16th to international students, especially those from China, to be alert to fraudsters posing as law enforcement officials – threatening them with arrest if they do not pay a large sum of money. The FBI encourages victims to report such scams immediately.
This warning comes as the spring semester begins at universities, with the FBI noting an increase in criminals posing as Chinese police officers since 2022, targeting the Chinese community in the United States, particularly Chinese international students at universities in the region.
Wayne A. Jacobs, head of the FBI Philadelphia office, emphasized that the harm caused by these scams goes beyond financial loss, having long-lasting effects. The FBI is committed to collaborating closely with academia, law enforcement agencies, and the public to identify victims and assist them in accessing the necessary resources.
According to ABC News, hundreds of students across the United States have become victims of such scams in recent years, with over 100 victims confirmed in the Philadelphia area alone. Victims are often instructed not to discuss the so-called investigation and are coerced into making payments via wire transfers or cryptocurrency, ranging from thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars. In some cases, scammers may even demand victims to buy new phones or move to hotels or short-term rental properties to isolate them further, enabling continued extortion.
The FBI advises students who receive such calls to immediately hang up. If they feel threatened, they should dial 911 for assistance and then contact the FBI Philadelphia office.
The FBI detailed some of the tactics used in these scams: perpetrators inform victims that they are under investigation in China for financial crimes and must pay a ransom to avoid arrest. This scam typically involves four stages:
1. Perpetrators call victims using numbers disguised as mobile service providers, major retailers, courier companies, or the Chinese embassy/consulate, claiming the victims’ personal information is related to a financial fraud case.
2. Victims are transferred to alleged provincial public security departments in China supposedly investigating them. Impersonating Chinese police, the scammers detail the alleged crimes and may pressure victims to return to China for trial or threaten arrest.
3. Scammers, citing the sensitive nature of the investigation or to prove victims’ innocence, induce victims to agree to 24/7 video and audio monitoring. Victims are instructed not to discuss case details, conduct internet searches, report all daily activities, and in some cases, may be required to move to a third-party location.
4. Victims are instructed to transfer a large sum of money to a Chinese bank account via wire transfer and/or cryptocurrency transactions to prove innocence or pay bail to avoid returning to China.
The FBI Philadelphia office encourages victims or attempted victims of such scams to report to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (www.ic3.gov) or their local FBI field office. They also recommend taking steps such as reporting the fraud to the payment service provider used for the financial transaction, contacting their financial institution to stop or reverse the transaction, reporting to campus security or public safety offices to raise awareness among the student community, and submitting an online report to the FBI through www.ic3.gov.
The FBI has created a video specifically explaining how to respond to these scams, recognizing that Chinese international students across the United States have become targets. This has left many students financially strained and psychologically traumatized. The FBI acknowledges that these scammers operate from China, driven by economic motives. They are associated with groups that specialize in defrauding the elderly and conducting online kidnappings – activities that bring them substantial profits.