Victoria Police have issued a warning to members of the public, particularly the Chinese community, after an attempted “virtual kidnapping” took place earlier this week.
On April 18th, VicPD were called to the 100-block of Harbour Road for a report of a suspicious circumstance involving a woman.
After speaking with the woman, police learned that she had been targeted by an attempted “virtual kidnapping” scam.
The woman was contacted by a Mandarin-speaking person six days earlier, who had claimed to be a member the Chinese police.
After speaking with the person on the phone, the woman was convinced that she needed to send money and other personal details to the scammer in order to protect her family at home in China.
The scammer was able to use the personal details they had obtained to convince the woman’s family in China that she was being held for ransom.
In this instance, the scam was interrupted before any money was transferred to the scammer.
VicPD want to remind the public of this “virtual kidnapping” scam, which generally targets the Chinese community.
Things to remember
- The Chinese police or government cannot arrest you in Canada.
- All policing related contact from the Chinese government will be through local police.
- Canadian or Chinese authorities will not ask you to destroy a phone or to take photos or videos of yourself pretending to be the victim of a crime.
- If you are contacted by someone claiming to be the Chinese police and they ask you to be of assist and investigation by pretending to be the victim of a crime, call (250) 995-7654 for assistance (even if they tell you not to).
- The Victoria Police Department is here to help you. If you feel unsafe or threatened, please call 911.
