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Chinese Authority Impersonation

Chinese Authority Impersonation

Criminals pose as Chinese law enforcement or Embassy 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.

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.

Criminals may show victims fraudulent documents as proof of these accusations, including realistic-looking arrest warrants or intricate details about alleged criminal schemes. Criminals may also display basic knowledge of the victim to appear more legitimate.

Tips to Protect Yourself

  • Resist the pressure to act quickly. Criminals will urge the victim to act fast to protect their device. The criminals create a sense of urgency to produce fear and lure the victim into immediate action.
  • If an unknown individual contacts you to accuse you of a crime, do not release any personal identifying information and do not send any money.
  • Contact from an apparently official phone number is not proof of official action. Criminals may use technology to disguise the actual number they are calling from ("spoof") and make it appear as a trusted number.
  • Foreign government officials conducting legitimate law enforcement activity in the United States must act in coordination with US federal authorities.

Filing a Complaint

To report Chinese authority impersonation, please be as descriptive as possible in the complaint including:

  • Identifying information of the subject. Include web sites, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses used or any numbers you may have called.
  • Account names, phone numbers, and financial institutions receiving any funds (e.g., bank accounts, wire transfers, prepaid card payments, cryptocurrency wallets) even if the funds were not actually lost.
  • Description of interaction with the subject.

Complainants are also encouraged to keep all original documentation, e-mails, faxes, and logs of all communications.

Related Publications

Terms and Conditions

Prior to filing a complaint with the IC3, please read the following information regarding terms and conditions.

Should you have additional questions prior to filing your complaint, view FAQ for more information on inquiries such as:

  • What details will I be asked to include in my complaint?
  • What happens after I file a complaint?
  • How are complaints resolved?
  • Should I retain evidence related to my complaint?

Complaints filed via this website are analyzed and may be referred to federal, state, local or international law enforcement and partner agencies for possible investigation.

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