SFPD warns Chinese community of scammers posing as police from China
The San Francisco Police Department is warning members of the city Chinese community about recent scams, in which people are impersonating police officers from China, federal employees and healthcare providers.
In a statement Thursday, the department said it has received multiple reports over the past month about the scammers, who are seeking to steal victims' identities.
"We want to spread the word to our Chinese community about these horrendous scammers attempting to take advantage of our community members," Police Chief Bill Scott said. "The SFPD is working diligently to identify the perpetrators and bring justice to victims."
Police said victims generally received a phone call from a number which appeared to be from a healthcare provider. The suspects would ask victims if they had undergone a surgical procedure in China recently.
After the victims denied receiving surgeries in China, the scammers told the victims that someone submitted their personal information for a fraudulent claim. The scammers then transferred the calls to other suspects posing as Chinese police officers and claimed they wanted to file police reports for the victims' personal information.
Police said some of the victims talked to the scammers over a video call to suspects who were dressed in Chinese police uniforms with a background resembling a police station in China. Victims were then told to download applications such as Signal or Skype to discuss the alleged fraud further.
Officers described variations of the scam, including one instance where a Mandarin-speaking suspect on a video call sent victims of a Chinese police identification card allegedly from the Guangdong Provincial Public Security Department.
In another incident, police said a suspect posed as a Mandarin-speaking employee of the Federal Communications Commission. The suspect then connected a victim to other suspects posing as Chinese police officers and convinced the victim to send $23,000 to clear their name from a crime.
Police said the victim of this scam sent money through wire transfer but later became suspicious and contacted the San Francisco Police Department.
In its statement, SFPD urged the Chinese community to safeguard personal information including names, date of birth, Social Security and passport numbers, along with bank account and credit card numbers. Community members should also be aware of Caller ID spoofing, in which false information is sent via caller ID.
"When in doubt, hang up or end the voice or video call immediately," police said.
Thursday's announcement comes two months after police warned the city's Chinese community about so-called "blessing scams" in which thieves steal valuables from elderly women. In the scams, thieves had stolen nearly $400,000.
Anyone who is reporting a scam should call 911 for crimes in progress or to call dispatch at 415-553-0123 to request an officer to take a report. Cantonese speakers can call a special tip line at 415-553-9212 or 855-737-3847.
Tips can be given anonymously by calling 415-575-4444 or by texting TIP411, beginning the message with SFPD.