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Bellevue police warns of alleged scammers posing as Chinese police; over $1M lost

By
Published  June 26, 2025 8:39am PDT
Bellevue
FOX 13 Seattle

The Brief

    • The Bellevue Police Department is warning the public about a significant rise in fraud cases, where alleged scammers, often impersonating Chinese law enforcement, are coercing young victims into wiring large sums of money under duress. 
    • The alleged scammers threaten victims with arrest or asset freezes, falsely claiming they are involved in serious crimes like fraud or human trafficking. 
    • In several recent incidents, victims have collectively lost over a million dollars, with individual cases involving losses of up to $800,000.

BELLEVUE, Wash. - The Bellevue Police Department is urging the community to take extra precautions against fraud, as recent incidents involved young victims wiring over a million dollars combined to scammers after receiving threats.

What they're saying:

Investigators said victims were called or contacted online by a person claiming to be from Chinese law enforcement. 

The victims reported they were unknowingly participating in a fraud scheme, identity theft or a major crime incident occurring overseas or in large American cities.

According to police, one case involved an alleged scammer who claimed a person died due to the victim's alleged scams.  

The alleged scammers would then demand the victim send sensitive documents to prove their identity, including fingerprint scans, social security numbers, passport copies and tax forms. The victims would then be instructed to wire large sums of money to prevent them from being arrested or having assets frozen. 

Timeline:

The following are recent incidents: 

December 21, 2024: A 31-year-old woman lost about $800,000 after being scammed by someone impersonating Chinese police, who convinced her she was part of a kidnapping and human trafficking investigation and demanded constant updates on her whereabouts.

March 20, 2025: A 33-year-old woman wired about $450,000 to an alleged scammer (posing as Chinese police) who claimed she was a part of a fraud case and would be arrested if she did not comply. The woman was instructed to open bank and crypto accounts to wire the funds.  

April 18, 2025: A 25-year-old man lost around $315,800 after being convinced by a scammer, who claimed to be a Chinese judge and possibly used AI for video calls, that he was involved in a fraud scheme.

May 31, 2025: A 36-year-old female wired over a million dollars to an alleged scammer posing as Chinese police. 

According to police reports, victims appeared to be targeted because of their economic status.

Bellevue police said law enforcement would never demand people to pay them money in lieu of an arrest. 

What you can do:

Anyone who believes they may have been a victim should report it immediately by contacting the FBI's online tip line or calling Bellevue police at 425-577-5656. 

The Source: Information in this story came from the Bellevue Police Department. 

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BellevueCrime and Public Safety