Pretends to be police from abroad
Fake Chinese police or consulate call
Is a call from Chinese police or a consulate saying I am a suspect a scam?
Yes. Real police and consulates do not threaten arrest by phone or video call or demand money. Hang up and talk to someone you trust.
Real organizations never do this. Stop. Hang up or delete it.
Also searched as: Chinese embassy, Chinese consulate, Shanghai police, China police, Mandarin robocall, embassy calling me
Draft: we're still checking this page. The quotes below are word for word from their sources.
What to do
On the phone right now?
- Stop. Hang up or close the message. Don't tap anything.
- Check. Call a number you already have, like the one on your card or bill.
- Talk to someone you trust before you pay anyone.
If anyone is in danger right now, call 911.
If you already paid
- Call the company you paid through right away: your bank, card company, gift card company, or the wire or Zelle service. Ask them to stop or reverse the payment.
- Call the Justice Department's National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-372-8311, Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern.
- Report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. If it happened online, report it at IC3.gov too.
General information, not legal or financial advice. If you've lost money, contact your bank and report it.
How it works
1 They reach you by
- Phone call
- Video call
2 They pretend to be
- Police or government
- Embassy or consulate
- Medicare or health
3 They ask for
- Money
- Wire or Zelle
- Personal details
- Secrecy
- Something else
What it can look like
Example pattern, not a real message
Pretends to be police from abroad. What gives it away:
- Keep it a secret
- Send a wire or Zelle
- Give your ID numbers
Warning signs
- They tell you not to tell your family or your bank. That keeps you from getting help.
- They push you to send a wire transfer or Zelle payment. That money is very hard to get back.
- They contacted you, then ask for your Social Security, Medicare or bank numbers.
- They say you must pay right now or something bad will happen. Real organizations give you time to check.
Why we say this
District Attorney Katz Releases Warning About Scammers Posing as Law Enforcement and Targeting Chinese Community
Scammers pose as Chinese police and prosecutors. They say you are under investigation for insurance fraud in China. They threaten arrest or extradition and push you to wire large sums. One Queens woman lost $350,000. They also tell victims to keep it secret and to lie to the bank.
The scammers claim that the victim is being investigated for insurance fraud in China and demand immediate payment to avoid arrest and possible extradition.
5 more quotes from this source
They use sophisticated tactics that include calling victims from ‘spoofed’ official phone numbers and sending fraudulent documents that look authentic.
The caller then said he would transfer her call to a Chinese provincial police department where a man posing as a police officer requested personal information, told her he was investigating her case and would contact her in two days.
He allegedly contacted the victim daily via the Zoom and Teams platforms and demanded she not tell anyone or they could be implicated in her crimes.
He instructed her to tell the bank staff that the money was being sent to a relative in Hong Kong to buy a house.
I urge anyone who has been victimized locally to contact their local police precinct or the Queens District Attorney’s Consumer Frauds Hotline at 718-286-6673.
San Francisco Police Department Warns Chinese Community of Scammers Posing as Police Officers from China 25-041
Scammers call Chinese-speaking residents pretending to be a health insurer. They say the person's identity was used for a fake surgery claim. Then they pass the call to fake Chinese police, who use video calls and pressure the person to send money or share personal details.
The suspects then transferred the calls to other suspects, who claimed to be police officers from a city in China.
5 more quotes from this source
In some cases, the victims talked on a video call to other suspects dressed in Chinese police officers’ uniforms with a background resembling a police station in China.
The victims were instructed to download communications applications like Signal or Skype for texts, voice calls and video calls to discuss the alleged fraud further.
The victim subsequently sent money through wire transfer, but later became suspicious and contacted SFPD.
SFPD is urging community members to safeguard their personal information, including name, date of birth, Social Security number, passport number, bank account and credit card numbers, and other sensitive personal information.
When in doubt, hang up or end the voice or video call immediately.
FCC Scam Glossary: Chinese Consulate Scam
Callers who speak Mandarin pretend to work for a Chinese consulate. They may say a family member is in trouble and ask for money. They may also ask for personal details to deliver a parcel, or say you are part of a crime investigation.
Scammers, speaking Mandarin, pose as Chinese consulate employees.
2 more quotes from this source
They may request money for a family member who they say is in trouble or ask for personal information for a parcel delivery.
Sometimes they claim the call is related to a criminal investigation.
Chinese Authority Impersonation
Scammers call Chinese-speaking people in the US and pretend to be Chinese police, prosecutors or consulate staff. They say you are a suspect in a crime and threaten arrest or harm unless you pay. They may show fake arrest papers and make the caller ID look official.
Criminals tell victims they are suspects in financial crimes and threaten them with arrest or violence if they do not pay.
6 more quotes from this source
Criminals typically call victims, sometimes using spoofed numbers to appear as if the call is from the Chinese Ministry of Public Security, one of its localized Public Security Bureaus, or a US-based Chinese Consulate.
Criminals may show victims fraudulent documents as proof of these accusations, including realistic-looking arrest warrants or intricate details about alleged criminal schemes.
Resist the pressure to act quickly.
If an unknown individual contacts you to accuse you of a crime, do not release any personal identifying information and do not send any money.
Contact from an apparently official phone number is not proof of official action.
Foreign government officials conducting legitimate law enforcement activity in the United States must act in coordination with US federal authorities.