On October 10, 2026, Melinda Katz, the district attorney of Queens, issued a warning to the Chinese community in New York City. She cautioned that individuals have been posing as Chinese police officers or prosecutors, using threats related to alleged insurance fraud cases in China to extort victims into transferring large sums of money. One woman from Queens was deceived into sending $350,000 after facing repeated threats, while a man from Flushing suspected of receiving the illegal funds has been arrested.
According to Katz, these scammers impersonate law enforcement officials and intimidate victims into transferring hundreds of thousands of dollars from their bank accounts. They manipulate caller IDs to appear as government agencies and present seemingly authentic fake documents to make victims believe they are under criminal investigation.
The targeted woman received a call on July 6 from an unknown man claiming that someone had opened a UnitedHealthcare global account in her name for illegal insurance claims in China. The caller then threatened to transfer the call to a provincial public security department in China.
Another man posing as a Chinese police officer requested personal information from the victim, stating that she was under investigation and would contact her again in two days. Subsequently, he contacted her daily via Zoom and Microsoft Teams, warning her not to disclose the situation to anyone else or risk implicating others.
On July 10, a man impersonating a Chinese prosecutor contacted the victim, claiming to know she had $350,000 in a Chase Bank account. He threatened to have her extradited to China for trial if she did not transfer the money to an account at a Flagstar Bank branch in Fresh Meadows, New York.
The scammer instructed the victim to falsely claim to bank staff that the money was being sent to relatives in Hong Kong to purchase a property. Following the instructions, the victim transferred $300,000 to the designated account on July 13, and another $50,000 a week later.
On July 26, when the victim attempted to access her Chase Bank account, she discovered it had been frozen due to suspected fraud. After Flagstar Bank received a fraud alert and contacted the account holder, the victim was directed to the branch at 61-49 188th Street in Fresh Meadows. Upon arrival, the man was detained by officers from the 107th Precinct of the NYPD.
The defendant, 29-year-old Bingming Zhang from Flushing, has been charged with second-, third-, and fourth-degree possession of stolen property offenses. He appeared in Queens Criminal Court in August and is scheduled to appear again on November 6. If convicted of the highest charge, he could face a prison sentence ranging from 5 to 15 years.
The victim transferred a total of $350,000 to the Flagstar Bank account controlled by the defendant. The Queens District Attorney’s office did not specify whether the funds were subsequently withdrawn, transferred, frozen, or recovered.
The district attorney’s office reminds the public that legitimate law enforcement agencies do not demand money over the phone to avoid arrest or extradition, nor do they require individuals under investigation to hide the purpose of their transfers from banks. If someone receives such a call, they should not provide personal or bank information, refrain from carrying out any requested transfers, hang up immediately, and contact the authorities. The FBI has issued warnings regarding similar scams targeting Chinese communities impersonating Chinese law enforcement officials.
Katz emphasized that these types of scams are increasingly prevalent in the United States, and any victims should contact their local police precinct or the Queens District Attorney’s Consumer Fraud Hotline at 718-286-6673.
It’s important to note that criminal charges are only allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.