MADISON, Wis. — Madison police issued a warning Wednesday after they said a college student was nearly scammed out of $30,000.
Police said the woman received calls, emails and texts from a person pretending to be a Chinese police officer. The scammer told the woman that she owed money because she was involved in a criminal investigation.
The woman tried to send the scammer money, but the transaction was flagged as suspicious by her bank and wasn’t processed. Police said the scam was reported at around 1:15 p.m. Monday.
Law enforcement officials said that similar scams often target foreign students,, and can result is massive financial loss. The scammers will sometimes impersonate the IRS, Medicare officials, the Federal Trade Commission, doctors and family members.
The scammer may know your name, and say the call is being recorded. Oftentimes, they will claim you missed a court appearance and need to pay to avoid being arrested.
Police said real law enforcement agencies will never ask you to purchase cryptocurrencies, gift cards or wire money for an investigation. You should also be cautious when sharing information like addresses, social security numbers or bank account information over the phone.
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