Criminals Pose as Chinese Authorities to Target US-based Chinese Community


The FBI warns of criminal actors posing as Chinese law enforcement officials or prosecutors in financial fraud schemes targeting the US-based Chinese community. Criminals tell victims they are suspects in financial crimes and threaten them with arrest or violence if they do not pay the criminals. Criminals exploit widely publicized efforts by the People’s Republic of China government to harass and facilitate repatriation of individuals living in the United States to build plausibility for their fraud. 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 also communicate through online applications.

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Source: U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation Cyber Division