York Police cautions Chinese community in Canada against extortion scams

Scammers posing as Chinese law enforcement officials are targeting the Chinese community in York Region, the police said.

 

Moreover, these fraudsters demand money from victims for fabricated legal issues.

 

In a statement, York Regional Police warned the members of the Chinese community about a recent drastic increase in police extortion schemes. These include scammers making victims believe they are facing legal troubles in China and must transfer money to provide personal information to fix the issue.

 

Scammers use various tactics such as calling the victims or sending them social media messages, to force people in believing that their personal information has been compromised or that they are accused of crimes such as money mlaundering and drug trafficking.

 

Then, these scammers demand that victims transfer money or provide personal information in order to make the hypothetical issue go away. Reportedly, investigators have said in some of the cases, these scammers threaten people with arrest or deportation if they fail to comply.

 

Police have said that the victims from three cases have been defrauded for over $1 million combined.

 

In light of these frauds, people in the community are advised to protect themselves and always verify the caller’s identity. The people are also told to not share personal information by phone or email and to report any incidents to the York Regional Police financial crimes unit.