After the Australian Federal Police Department (Australian Federal Police,AFP) alerted Chinese in Australia two weeks ago to a "virtual kidnapping" phone scam, the New South Wales Police Department also informed the Chinese community today. Watch out for this kind of international phone fraud against overseas Chinese.
Thousands of people across the new state have reported calls to speak Mandarin, and police have learned that someone has been the victim of such a scam.
Investigators were told that the calls involved threats of violence or injury to the recipient's family and / or friends for money.
According to ABC, the vast majority of victims of "virtual kidnapping" scams were Chinese students in Australia. At present, the Australian Federal Police have received 25 reports of victims, they lost a total of more than 1.5 million Australian dollars. Across Australia, as well as New Zealand, the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, the scams have reportedly cost victims millions of Australian dollars.
Detective Linda Howlett of the new state police's financial crime investigation team said the calls appeared to be random but ultimately targeted at vulnerable members of the Australian Chinese community.
"the caller claims to be an government official, and the essence of the scam is to convince the victims that they're in trouble, but they can pay for it," Howlett said.
"We were told that the victim was contacted via their cell phone, or through the social app program, and that although the incoming number appeared to be from a local landline, it had been" disguised "or" transferred "to an unknown location.
"the call usually starts with a recorded message in English or Mandarin and transfers it to a person who claims to be from a Chinese embassy or consulate.
"the caller claimed that the victim was suspected of committing a crime or that their identity had been stolen, which could affect their visa to stay in Australia or could cause harm to their families in their hometown.
"the victim was then told that the call would be transferred to the" investigator "or" police ", who asked the receiver to provide personal details, including bank accounts, passwords, passports, and family information. And in some cases cash payments have been made.
"in some cases, victims are told not to talk to friends or family because it can put them in danger."
Police urged community members not to provide any personal information to the callers and to report to the police immediately.
Detective Howlett said the police were in contact with the Chinese Embassy and Consulate General.
"they said they would never call citizens to convey notification from the Chinese police, financial institutions or other organizations," Howlett said.
"in addition, they do not ask for personal information by telephone, nor do they require bank account information or payment.
"while we are working with law enforcement colleagues to investigate the cause of the scam, we are urging the community to take note of our warnings and not respond to calls from callers.
"if you get a call, the best thing to do is hang up and call the police."
Police are urging anyone to provide information that could help investigators deal with the scam by calling Crime Stoppers at 1800 333,000 or using the Crime Stoppers online reporting page at https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au/. The information you provide will be treated with the strictest confidentiality.
In addition, the public is reminded to take the following precautions to reduce the risk of deception:
-if you receive a threatening call (and ask for payment), please hang up immediately;
-do not disclose personal information to the caller;
Never provide your personal or bank account information to the person who calls you.
-do not provide anyone with your financial password or account password;
-do not pay any fees to the caller by telephone, Internet or cash;
If you are suspicious of the identity of the caller, please ask. If they avoid or refuse to provide information, hang up;
Don't let crooks put pressure on you-cheaters use detailed scripts to convince you that they are true and create a high-pressure situation to force you to make decisions on the spot;
-if you think you have provided details of your account to the cheater, please contact your bank or financial institution immediately;
Contact the police immediately to report the incident.
To learn more about fraud or find other ways to protect yourself, visit www.scamwatch.gov.au. There is a Chinese description of fraud on the Scamwatch website.
If you are a victim of a scam, you can call the local police, call 1300 7995 995, or report online via ACCC's "SCAMwatch report a scam" page. We remind people not to report criminal information through Facebook and Twitter pages.