ACCC Warns Chinese Students Living In AUS Amidst Scam Spike
The ACCC and National Anti-Scam Centre has advised that Chinese students living in Australia are being targeted by scammers who are increasingly barraging students with an array of disturbing strategies to threaten, frighten, and steal.
Reports have increased by 50% in August of defrauders pretending to be Chinese police to target Australian students from China. Since January, a total of 1,244 reports and $8.7 million were recorded and attributed to the scam.
“We are very concerned by the rising number of reports we have had from Chinese students, who are understandably terrified by the threatening nature of these scams,” ACCC Deputy Chair Catriona Lowe stated.
“Scammers are using deplorable tactics to scare their young victims into handing over their money and providing their personal information. We are particularly disturbed by the intrusive video surveillance many victims have been subjected to over extended periods.”
“The National Anti-Scam Centre is sharing its intelligence with Australian police and working with universities to warn Chinese students, particularly in Victoria, NSW, and the ACT,” Lowe said.
The scam begins with students receiving a call from a crook pretending to be a phone company or financial institution saying their information has been found in part of an investigation of illegal activity. Then, the student is transferred to the Chinese police, and the caller ID looks valid.
Scammers are using telephone spoofing technology to scare students with threats of deportation and even use tech to make fake documentation like arrest warrants.
“This type of scam is highly sophisticated and convincing because it involves multiple perpetrators who play on their victim’s fears by threatening them and their family with years of jail time,” Lowe said.
“In one case, a young man paid over $400,000 to scammers after he was told he would be arrested. He was also told he was under surveillance and was instructed to have Facetime open 24 hours a day.”
The National Anti-Scam Centre warns students never to give personal information, such as passport details, date of birth, or bank information, over the phone, and if there are safety concerns, contact the police immediately by calling 000.
For more information and tips to sidestep the scam, visit the ACCC here or read the press release in Mandarin here.