Don't be a victim of the Macau Phone Scam

There's a scam that was originally run in Malaysia and China a few years ago and has now migrated to residents of the United States. The fraudulent call appears to come from 862162310110 which is the phone number of the Shanghai Police in China. You may also receive a call from (213)807-8088 which is the phone number of the Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles. Both of these numbers are spoofed to make it appear that the call is legitimate. The scammer may speak in Mandarin or English.

In addition to your name, the scammers may have some additional information about you to make the scam appear more legitimate like your address, birthdate or other personal information. The scammer will claim that you are under investigation for passport fraud and/or money laundering and will demand that you return to China to resolve the issue. The fraudulent caller will make an offer in lieu of traveling to China to accept a payment via wire transfer to resolve the issue. They may ask for the last four digits of your ATM card and request a direct deposit to a specific account.

 

Of course, DO NOT give any of this information to the scammer or you will lose this money!  If you were the victim of this crime you can call your local police department to report the crime.

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