As colleges and universities across the area return for the spring semester, the FBI Philadelphia Field Office is advising international student communities of a scam involving foreign government impersonators and encouraging victims to report instances of this scam immediately. 

Since 2022, the FBI Philadelphia Field Office has seen an increase in criminals impersonating Chinese police officers to defraud the U.S.-based Chinese community, in particular Chinese students attending universities in this area, according to a Jan. 16 press release.

“These scams leave real and lasting harm that extends far beyond a financial loss,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, special agent in charge of FBI Philadelphia. “This is why we continue to work closely with our partners across academia, law enforcement, and the public to identify victims and connect them with the resources they need. If you or someone you know has been impacted by a scam like this, please reach out. Pursuing justice and victim support remains our priority, and we will continue working to hold offenders accountable and ensure those harmed receive the assistance they need.”

The FBI said that to conduct this scheme, criminals tell victims they are under investigation for an alleged financial crime in China and need to pay to avoid arrest. The scheme typically consists of four phases: 

* Criminals place a call to victims, appearing to be a phone number associated with a mobile telephone service provider, a large retailer, a delivery service, or the Chinese Embassy/Consulate. The criminals inform victims their personally identifiable information is linked to either a subject or a victim of a financial fraud investigation.

* Criminals then allegedly transfer the call to a Chinese provincial police department that is allegedly investigating the victims. A criminal posing as a Chinese police officer informs victims of the details of the alleged crime and may pressure victims to return to China to face trial or threaten them with arrest. 

* Criminals direct victims to consent to 24/7 video and audio monitoring due to the alleged sensitivity of the investigation and/or to demonstrate the victims’ innocence. Victims are instructed not to discuss the details, not to conduct internet searches, to report all their daily activities, and in some cases move to another location. 

* Criminals instruct victims to wire a large sum of money to a Chinese bank account via wire and/or crypto currency exchange to prove their innocence or to post bail to avoid returning to China. 

The FBI in Philadelphia said it was encouraging victims or attempted victims to report it to the Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov or the local FBI field office. In addition, the FBI recommends that victims report the activity to the payment service provider used for the financial transaction; contact your financial institution immediately to stop or reverse the transaction and ask the financial institution to contact the corresponding financial institution where the funds were sent; and report activity to your campus security or public safety office to elevate awareness within the student population.