China Overseas Chinese Network, November 17th, title: All are routines!
Some people were deceived because of this...
The epidemic situation in various countries has not subsided, and fraud cases for overseas Chinese and students have become active again.
Faced with endless scams and tricks, how should overseas Chinese protect their lives and property?
Today, Xiaoqiao will come to talk to you in detail about this topic.
Double negative test package? Fake advertisment!
A few days ago, the Chinese Embassy in the United States issued the "Notice on the Double Negative Tests for New Coronavirus Nucleic Acid and Serum Antibody Tests for Passengers on Flights to China." Some illegal intermediaries have used this to target travelers who have recent needs to travel to China. .
They publish advertisements for double-negative testing through WeChat groups, Weibo and other social media, claiming that they are "convenient, money-saving, and time-saving", and even "standards and over-acceptance".
Screenshot of the website of the Chinese Embassy in the United States
In this regard, the embassy in the United States and the consulates general remind Chinese and foreign passengers who are going to China in the near future that the parties concerned shall bear responsibility for the authenticity of sampling, testing and testing certificates before boarding, including legal liabilities.
Before going to China, you should carefully choose testing agencies and conduct standardized testing according to the facts.
In the face of all kinds of advertising, you should be cautious, especially beware of the intermediary service advertisements of non-testing agencies that are "convenient, money-saving, and time-saving" to avoid being deceived and delaying your trip.
"In the name of family"? The truth of fraud!
In recent years, information fraud cases have occurred frequently. Asian Americans in the United States are more likely to be targeted by criminals because of their names and other identity information.
Statistics from the New York City Police Department show that since 2019, hundreds of telecommunications frauds have occurred in the city under the pretext of family members’ difficulties.
Many of these cases occurred in communities where Chinese people gather in Brooklyn, involving more than 3 million U.S. dollars.
The Chinese detective Zhang Dongzhi of the South Brooklyn Police Department who specializes in investigating such cases pointed out that these types of cases all target the elderly. To help them pay attorney fees or bail to avoid jail.
Data map: On October 31, local time, on the eve of Halloween, a traditional American holiday, a resident of Brooklyn, New York City, in order to maintain social distance with children who came to ask for candy, specially used plastic tubes to deliver candy.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Liao Pan
During the phone call, criminals would also use "fear of being scolded by their parents" as an excuse to ask the elderly not to contact their family members, and let their associates pretend to be police or lawyers to talk to the elderly, threatening their grandchildren if they did not receive the money in time. Will be charged or go to jail, etc., forcing the elderly to pay as soon as possible.
In this regard, Zhang Dongzhi reminds the elderly Chinese that they should check with their family members immediately after receiving such calls and do not send money to others at will.
If you are unfortunately victimized, you should report to the police immediately, and do not refuse to ask for help out of the mentality of "family ugly".
Hiring "part-time"? May be suspected of money laundering!
There are also some transnational criminals under the guise of "part-time jobs", in the name of recruitment, to trick international students into participating in cross-border money laundering without their knowledge.
"If you are a college student in Korea, if you like to buy, buy, and buy, please join us and work as an agent with me. The work is simple and easy, and the time is free." Such advertisements of "recruiting part-time overseas agents" may be hidden behind danger.
According to media reports, not long ago, two Chinese students studying in South Korea served as part-time merchandisers on the Internet. A few days later, they discovered that their bank cards were frozen and were investigated by the South Korean police.
It turned out that criminals used the name of recruiting agents to remit stolen money into the accounts of overseas students to launder money.
So, how should one judge whether overseas part-time jobs are formal and legal?
There is a criterion to keep in mind here: whether you have received a return much higher than what you paid.
If the answer is yes, then there is every reason to suspect that this "part-time job" may be illegal.
Private exchange? Poor money and illegal!
When they need renminbi overseas, many overseas Chinese will exchange currency between friends, family and acquaintances.
Recently, the New Zealand police received a report that the Chinese owner of a convenience store in Auckland suffered a currency exchange scam and lost tens of thousands of New Zealand dollars.
The Chinese and her husband ran a convenience store in central Auckland.
A few days ago, they planned to send money back to China to treat their family members. A regular customer in the store asked them if they wanted to exchange currency.
The two parties agreed to exchange 100,000 New Zealand dollars for the equivalent of RMB. After receiving the cash from the convenience store owner, the customer quietly left the convenience store without paying attention.
The victim then contacted the guest via WeChat, but lost contact with the other party after receiving only RMB 14,000.
Data map: June 9th, local time, was the first day New Zealand reduced its emergency response level to the first level. The country lifted all restrictions imposed by the new crown virus for the first time in more than three months.
New Zealanders hug, kiss, shop, and plan to hold parties.
The picture shows people playing at the beach.
Xiao Qiao hereby reminds you that the foreign exchange business should be handled at a formal financial institution, and do not cause property losses due to petty gains.
Private exchange of foreign exchange is not only without security, but may also involve crimes such as money laundering and illegal foreign exchange trading.
If you find that you have been deceived, you should report the case to the local police as soon as possible, and pay attention to collecting key evidence such as the identity information of the fraudster, the bank account involved in the case, and transfer records, so as to facilitate the subsequent investigation and recovery of losses.
Learn English for free? Be careful with your personal information!
During the epidemic, most of the free English lessons provided by community service agencies and the Office of New Americans in New York State for new immigrants were converted to online teaching, which also provided opportunities for some criminals.
In such cases, criminals pretend to be institutions that can provide online English teaching and trick people into registering online, so as to obtain personal information such as the victim's name, phone number, and address to defraud money.
Data map: Su Lingyong, a Chinese public safety assistant at the Irvine Police Department in San Francisco, explained the tricks of fraud in Chinese.
(Photo by "World Journal" / Shang Ying)
Since the audience of free English teaching is mainly new immigrants, scammers often pretend to be immigration law enforcement agencies to call the victims, falsely claiming that their immigration status is problematic, or they will face arrest, deportation, etc., and demand that the victims pay.
The New York State Secretary of State’s Office reminds the public, especially immigrants, to be vigilant, and if they are found to be deceived, they should immediately report to the police or complain to the Department of Consumer Protection.
If you need an online English class, you need to verify whether the training institution actually exists and has the corresponding qualifications before signing up.
It is safer to choose courses offered by reputable service organizations.
Nowadays, the fraudulent behaviors of criminals have changed a lot. Xiao Qiao here again reminds everyone to stay calm when things happen, don't trust others, protect your personal information, and avoid falling into the trap of fraud.
(Reference: People's Daily Overseas Edition, Chinese Embassy website, New Zealand "Herald", the US "World News", American Press news etc; Author: Liu Xi Han; ID: qiaowangzhongguo)