FBI warns Chinese students in U.S. of extortion scam
Jan. 5 (UPI) -- The FBI is warning the public about impostors posing as Chinese police officers trying to extort money from Chinese university students in the United States, telling them they are being investigated, the bureau announced Thursday.
The criminals tell the victims they are being investigated for allegedly committing a crime in China and that they need to pay money to avoid being arrested and must consent to 24/7 audio and video monitoring.
The scheme has four phases, the FBI said.
The criminal contacts the victim using a fake phone number that appears to be tied to a large company or legitimate phone provider, then spoofs transferring the call to a Chinese provincial police department they are told is investigating them. The imposter police department official then convinces the victim into 24/7 monitoring, citing the sensitive nature of the case, and instructs the victim to transfer a large sum of money to a Chinese bank account.
The bureau is warning people not to consent to audio or video monitoring, confirm the identity of the supposed official they are speaking with, not to release any sensitive information and to contact the FBI if they believe they've been targeted in such a scheme.
The FBI warning follows numerous messages issued by Chinese and Australian officials last year and comes after the first well-documented "cyber kidnapping" case in the United States where police in Riverdale, Utah, said they found 17-year-old Kai Zhuang, a Chinese exchange student, freezing in a mountain side tent. Officials say Chinese impostors had convinced Zhuang to isolate himself and swindled his family out of $80,000.
