Vancouver police are warning the community about different types of scams that are specifically targeting those in the Chinese community.
The Vancouver Police Department (VPD) says since the beginning of this year, nearly six million dollars have been lost as a result of these scams.
‘The first scam tricks the victim into thinking that’s police officer is calling them, and that they need to send money to not be in trouble. Of course, this is bogus, it’s fake. But the victim ends up sending money to a bank in Hong Kong,” said Tania Visintin.
A similar scam was also reported by the Richmond RCMP last month where a victim lost $1.5 million.
Other tactics used in these scams include approaching people on the street demanding money in exchange for fake jewelry, and posting fake job listings that eventually turn into investments and relationship scams.
“These are very sophisticated criminals, so sometimes it is hard to see who is behind the phone. Sometimes they’re not even here in Vancouver,” Visintin said.
The VPD says most of the victims have been elderly people.
“The elderly are very kind and trustworthy, they want to help, but in this case, those qualities are being used against them, and it’s very sad to see, it’s very troubling,” said Visintin.
The VPD Financial Crime Unit works to track down the scammers, they predict there may be more victims who are too embarrassed to come forward.
The Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs also issued a travel alert for Canada after several Taiwanese nationals reported getting scam calls.
“Our office did take some calls from Taiwanese students who came to Canada to study. They did get some phone calls from the so-called Chinese public safety departments, officers who say there are some issues that may be criminal. And they are asked to give out account information, wire some money,” said Angel Lihsin Liu, Director General of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office.
The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office is warning those who may be targeted due to language barriers and lack of resources.
“If they get scam calls, be call, don’t give out your ID, passport, or your bank account. You have to double-check with the people around you or call our office,” said Liu.