Restore the crime process of the Chinese-speaking "liar police"

(Deutsche Welle Chinese website) On September 2 this year, Lin's (pseudonym) cell phone suddenly rang, and the caller informed him that it was the "Chinese Embassy." After the call was connected, the person on the other end of the phone claimed that Lin's identity had been stolen in China and that he should call the police immediately.

Lin, who is in her 20s, lives with her parents in Bonn, a city in western Germany. She is a Chinese citizen, but her Chinese ID card is kept in China and has not been used for many years. Lin thought it was possible for ID cards to be stolen in the country.

The other party immediately arranged to call the police and spoke to a man who claimed to be a "police officer" through Microsoft Teams. After turning on the camera, a policeman wearing a police uniform with a number printed on his chest appeared on the screen. The man actually recorded Lin's report. After Lin revealed his real name, the other party turned off the camera. Then, the other party asked: "Why didn't you take the initiative to say that you were involved in this case?"

Lin began to doubt the other party's true identity. The next day, the man turned on the camera again and took Lin to "visit" the police station. Lin saw desks, other officers, a police station badge in the foyer, and a street sign outside the door showing the direction of the police station.

The other party told Lin that a suspect with 600 bank cards was arrested at an airport, and one of the cards had Lin's name on it. He said Lin's bank cards had been used for cross-border money laundering. He asked Lin not to turn off his laptop, saying he could make video calls at any time. In panic, Lin even showed her bank statement, "I have nothing to hide."

Two weeks later, the other party informed that Lin's arrest notice had been issued. If he wanted to avoid being arrested, he could only apply to the prosecutor for a deposit bail. According to Lin's later account, the other party showed Lin the scene of the other party reporting to his superiors on the spot.

Lin was so frightened that he began to borrow money, take loans, and remit money to the accounts in Hong Kong and Vietnam designated by the other party. The other party said that corruption in China is too serious, and the current investigation must be kept confidential. Lin also revealed that she was about to return to China to visit relatives. The other party said that in view of Lin's increased risk, an additional ransom would be required. Lin made three remittances in total, totaling about 55,000 euros.

By coincidence, Lin saw a fraud report on German TV one day. The fraud techniques were very similar to her own experience. They were all pretending to be Chinese officials to conduct phone fraud. So, on September 24, Lin came to a police station in Bonn to report the crime.

The ending of the story is somewhat gratifying. Not all the money Lin remitted to the scammer was lost, and two of the three remittances were rejected by the local bank.

Important reminder: Interrupt contact and call the police immediately

The Bonn Police Department confirmed the authenticity of the above cases and reminded people with Chinese backgrounds studying and working in Germany to call the police immediately and seek consultation when encountering similar incidents, and not to continue to contact suspicious parties.

According to media reports, the German Federal Criminal Police Office pointed out in a reply letter that the perpetrator spoke Chinese and pretended to be a Chinese official, which cannot confirm that the fraudster must be from China. There are Chinese-speaking call centers all over the world.

According to the crime records of North Rhine-Westphalia, Chinese-speaking frauds targeting citizens of Chinese background are not separately classified and counted. In North Rhine-Westphalia, incomplete statistics from 2023 to 2026 recorded several such cases, with an overall downward trend.

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