BELLEVUE, Wash. — The Bellevue Police Department is urging residents to be vigilant against fraud following a series of scams targeting young individuals.
The BPD said recent incidents have seen victims wire large sums of money after receiving threats from scammers, with one case resulting in a loss exceeding one million dollars.
According to police reports, victims appeared to be targeted because of their economic status,” wrote the BPD. “They would be contacted by phone or online by individuals claiming to be from Chinese law enforcement. The victims were told they were unknowingly participating in a fraud scheme, identity theft, or major crime incident occurring overseas or in large American cities. In one case, the scammer even claimed a person died due to the victim’s alleged scams…