British BBC reported a story of a Chinese woman falling victim to telephone fraud by fake mainland Chinese police. The scammers used propaganda from the Chinese Communist Party to harass and extort money from her, leading her to deeply believe at one point that she was on the CCP’s “most wanted” list.
The woman, named Helen Young, a London accountant, still has nightmares from the two-week ordeal.
The scammers impersonated mainland Chinese police, manipulated her, and made her believe that she was under investigation for a large-scale fraud case in her homeland.
She was presented with a large amount of fabricated evidence hinting that she was involved in a crime she had no knowledge of.
The fake police threatened to extradite her to a prison in mainland China and demanded that she send them her life savings of £29,000 as “bail money” to stay in the UK.
“I feel a bit stupid now,” she said. “But I couldn’t have known it was fake. It was too hard to refute.”
A person claiming to be a Chinese customs officer called Helen, informing her that they intercepted an illegal package sent in her name.
Helen had not done such a thing. She was then told that if she believed her identity had been stolen, she must report it to the authorities. Despite her suspicions, Helen did not hang up the call.
“Chinese people like me – because we were born and raised in China, we are taught to be obedient from a young age,” she told the BBC. “So when the Party asks me to do something or my parents ask me to do something, I rarely refuse.”
Helen’s call was transferred to a man claiming to be a Shenzhen police officer named “Officer Fang”. Helen requested evidence, and Officer Fang suggested a video call. When they connected via video call, Helen saw a man in uniform whose face matched the police ID he showed her.
Officer Fang then used his phone to give her a virtual tour of what appeared to be a fully functional police station with several uniformed officers and a desk with a large police emblem.
“At that moment, all my doubts disappeared. So I said, ‘Sorry, I need to be cautious now, there are many criminals out there,” Helen said.
During their conversation, Helen overheard a message from the background instructing Officer Fang to take a call related to Helen.
Officer Fang did not hang up, but quickly returned to inform Helen that he had learned she was suspected of being involved in a large financial fraud case.
“I said, ‘That’s nonsense.’ He said, ‘Nobody would say they are guilty. Evidence is the most important,'” Helen recounted.
Helen then received what appeared to be a bank statement showing a large sum of money under her name. Officer Fang told her that if she was innocent, she must help them catch the real fraudsters. He had her sign a confidentiality agreement pledging not to tell anyone about the investigation. Helen was warned that if she did, she would face an additional six months of detention.
“He said, ‘If you tell anyone you’ve been questioned by the Chinese police, your life will be in danger,'” Helen said.
The scammers had Helen download an app that allowed them to monitor her every move day and night.
Over the next few days, Helen struggled to act normally at work. But at night, she was writing a personal statement and detailing every aspect of her life as requested by the scammers.
Officer Fang called back later, reporting that several suspects had been arrested. He showed her the written statement she had provided, which accused her of several charges.
Helen received a video showing a male prisoner confessing to the police and naming her as the boss of the fraud case.
A man wearing a hoodie and a large mask sat behind metal grilles in a room. There were two computer screens on a device. The door behind him was open, and another person was standing outside.
To Helen, she firmly believed these were legitimate Chinese police officers. So when she saw this scene, she believed she was “deeply in trouble.”
Officer Fang told Helen she would be extradited back to China, and despite being a British citizen, Helen believed him.
“He told me, ‘So you have 24 hours to pack your bags. The police are on their way to take you to the airport,'” Helen said.
Officer Fang told Helen that if she could increase her bail money, she could stop the extradition. After she sent her bank statement for verification, she was informed she had to transfer all her savings – £29,000.
“I felt terrible because I promised my daughter money to help her buy her first apartment,” Helen said.
But a few days later, the fake police came back. Helen was told to come up with an additional £250,000, or she would be extradited.
“I am fighting for my life – if I go back to China, I may never come back,” Helen feared.
Helen tried to borrow money from friends, and her friends informed her daughter about the situation. Helen was distraught and had to confide everything in her daughter. She quickly hid her phone in the kitchen drawer, pulled her daughter into the bedroom, and covered their heads with a duvet, thinking this way the scammers wouldn’t be able to hear their conversation.
Her daughter listened patiently and explained that it was a scam.
Her bank eventually refunded the money, but her ordeal was far from over.
“I hardly slept for two weeks. How can you sleep when you feel someone is monitoring your phone?” she told the BBC.
Sleep-deprived, she got into two car accidents. She said these scammers could truly drive someone to death.
Experts believe many of these scams are carried out by organized crime groups in China operating in countries like Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos.
Official Chinese media reports stated that tens of thousands of suspects were repatriated to China last year.
Helen’s experience is not unfamiliar to overseas Chinese. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the United States also warned the public in 2023 and 2024 that criminals posing as Chinese police are targeting the Chinese communities in the US for fraud.
The criminals inform the victims that they are under investigation for financial crimes in China and need to pay money to avoid arrest.
“Criminals use the extensive promotion of the People’s Republic of China government to harass individuals and facilitate the repatriation of individuals living in the United States, thus legitimizing their scams,” the FBI advisory said.
Sometimes, the criminals present fraudulent documents to the victims as evidence of these allegations, including what appear to be authentic arrest warrants or intricate details of criminal fraud schemes.
The scammers may even demonstrate familiarity with the victim’s personal information to make their scam seem more credible.
Here are five tips recommended by the FBI to prevent phone scams:
1. If an unknown person contacts you, accusing you of a crime, do not disclose any personal or financial information, do not make any transfers, and cease all further contact with them.
2. A call appearing to come from an official number does not necessarily mean it is official. Criminals may use technology to disguise or alter their actual numbers to make the incoming call seem legitimate.
3. If any government agency contacts you for official purposes, you can use public resources (telephone directories, the internet, etc.) to verify the contact information of the government agency, authenticate their official identity, and then directly contact the agency to confirm the legitimacy of the contact.
4. Do not agree to around-the-clock video or audio monitoring.
5. If you believe someone claiming to be Chinese authorities contacts you, contact your local FBI field office. “Foreign government officials conducting legitimate law enforcement activities in the United States must coordinate with US federal authorities,” the FBI emphasizes.