Recently, the Judiciary Police (PJ) have reminded parents with children studying abroad to be careful if the children ask for large sums of money for “substantial deposit proof” to obtain visas for further studies, which could be a “fake police” scam, according to a PJ statement released yesterday.
The statement said that the Judiciary Police have received a number of reports recently from parents who hastily transferred a large amount of money to their children, after which, it turned out, the children immediately transferred the money to scammers.
It was only later that the parents realised their children had fallen victim to a “fake police” phone scam, resulting in significant financial losses, the statement said.
According to police investigations, the scammers initially contacted the students overseas, posing as law enforcement officials from the mainland, who were able to provide the students’ names and the number of their ID cards, accusing them of being involved in criminal activities and demanding a “video interrogation.”
During this process, the scammers requested funds under the guise of a “financial review.” If the students were unable to pay, the scammers instructed them to deceive their parents, claiming they needed the money for a visa application, thereby requesting large amounts from their families, the statement said.
Consequently, the Judiciary Police are urging the public, especially parents with children studying abroad, to be vigilant, the statement said.
Parents who receive requests for large sums of money from their children – particularly if the reasons relate to “studying abroad” or “visa applications” – should verify the situation with the respective educational institutions first, the statement said.
The statement also recommended that parents stay in close contact with their children and share anti-fraud information, emphasising that any requests involving “video interrogations,” “financial reviews,” or “deposit guarantees” are likely scams.
If they have any suspicions about certain financial matters involving their children studying abroad, parents are advised to use the PJ anti-fraud programme to check risk indices or call the police’s anti-fraud enquiry hotline on 8800 7777 or the reporting hotline 993 for assistance.
This poster released by the Judiciary Police (PJ) yesterday warns residents of a “deposit proof” scam involving “fake police calls”.
