Kidnap scam resurfaces and targets immigrants

Lower Mainland RCMP are renewing their warning about a scam that targets newly arrived Chinese immigrants, trying to convince them a loved one has been kidnapped in order to extort money from their families.

RCMP spokeswoman Staff Sgt. Annie Linteau said police have had three new cases reported to them in the first week of October, the first since police became aware of the scam in July and since forming a task force to investigate the activity.

The RCMP issued their first warning in July after six incidents were reported to police about the two-pronged scam.

Chinese students in Canada received messages from people falsely claiming to be Chinese government officials that their personal information had been compromised and they were implicated in crimes in China.

The students’ families in China were then contacted and told that their relatives were being held against their will and that they would have to pay a ransom.

“The RCMP would like to remind the Chinese community that these automated calls are fraudulent,” Linteau said. “Anyone who receives similar calls should not comply with any demands and hang up immediately.”

Chinese nationals would never be informed of any pending legal action against them by telephone message, according to a notice from the consul general of the People’s Republic of China.

“Should any Chinese citizens be involved in any legal cases in China, the relevant legal documents will be mailed to them directly from Chinese diplomatic missions,” according to a statement in the RCMP statement, “especially personal banking information.”

Linteau said anyone receiving such a call should immediately report the incident to police.