Police warn of phone scam targeting Chinese families

Between 20 and 30 calls have been reported in Calgary: consular official

Edmonton police are warning the Chinese community about a telephone kidnapping scam.

Lower Mainland B.C. RCMP were made aware of a telephone scam that usually targets young female students, with crooks pos- ing as Chinese law enforcement or government officials, Sgt. Kevin Harrison of the Edmonton Police Service Crisis Negotiator Unit told a news conference Thursday.

The scammers convince their victims to go into hiding, then call their families in China saying the person has been kidnapped, and demand ransom money.

Police could not say exactly how the victims are convinced to go into hiding.

They tell victims not to contact Canadian law enforcement because that would get them deported.

Because these scammers are making telephone calls, it would be hard to find their exact location, whether in Canada or China, Harrison said.

The best way to foil the scammers is to reach out to people in the Chinese community and let them know they can contact police, he said.

There have been no cases reported in Edmonton.

“It’s very possible that there are victims we don’t know about,” Harrison said.

This past week saw members of the Chinese community in Calgary receive 20 or 30 such calls, said Chi Huanchun, with the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Calgary.

She said she does not know if the victims sent any money.

Consular officials tell people to report such calls to the police, Huanchun said.

“And we also tell them not to give out their personal information and to protect their money,” she said.

DAVID BLOOM Sgt. Kevin Harrison, with the Edmonton Police Service Crisis Negotiators Unit, warned residents Thursday of a phone scam that has targeted members of the Chinese communities in Vancouver and Calgary, noting scammers could target other cities such as...