Here’s a roundup of crime news from around Metro Vancouver and B.C. on Monday, Feb. 10, 2025
A new spin on an old scam is targeting Richmond’s Chinese community and has resulted in at least $400,000 in losses in recent weeks.
The Richmond RCMP economic crime unit is investigating five reports of fraudsters posing as employees of an Asia-based telecom service.
The first report was received on Dec. 24, and in all cases the victims got a call from someone pretending to represent a legitimate Asian telecom that provides phone, VOIP and TV services.
During the conversation, the victim gets transferred to a fake Chinese police officer who says the phone number has been used illegally and the target must pay in order to avoid being arrested and deported.
“This appears to be a new version of the foreign police scam,” said RCMP Cpl. Denise Kam of the economic crime unit. “Fraudsters will make slight changes to their tactics or approach in an attempt to lure in new victims.”
Kam said victims lost more than $38 million to fraud in Richmond alone. Police recommend checking the Canada Anti-Fraud Centre website regularly to stay up to date on the latest frauds and scams in Canada.