Newshub spoke to an Auckland woman who was targeted in an elaborate scam, with Mandarin-speaking people posing at Chinese officials such as police officers.
Photo credit: Newshub.
An Auckland woman targeted by scammers posing as Chinese officials was "so embarrassed" that she didn't end up telling her husband about it for three days.
Mandarin-speaking scammers have been posing as Chinese courier drivers, police officers, and lawyers to scam Chinese-speaking New Zealanders - including 'Ling'.
She's sharing her story so others can recognise a scam before it's too late.
'Ling', originally from Taiwan, was working from home a few weeks ago when she got a call from a New Zealand 022 number - thinking nothing out of the ordinary.
"I picked it up, and it was a nice lady."
The person calling, speaking in Mandarin, claimed to be from a "courier company".
"There was a parcel with some problems, and I was the sender of it from China," Ling told Newshub.
She tried to explain there had been a mix-up.
"I'm not Chinese, I've never been to China."
But the woman seemed to have all of Ling's contact details.
"Everything seemed correct."
'Ling' told Newshub she was so scared and embarrassed to tell her husband about being scammed - that she didn't for 3 days.
Photo credit: Newshub.
Ling was told her "package" was implicated in a "human trafficking" and "money laundering" scheme.
Then, the woman read aloud an unfamiliar Auckland address.
"That's not me. I live in Sandringham. And stupidly I gave her my address," said Ling.
The woman then told her this type of scam is "very common here in China" before transferring her to a Chinese 'police constable' to sort the issue out.
"This is when I said I don't know who you are."
The man sent a picture, which Ling was sceptical about.
Ling says the male 'police officer' showed her a badge, which seemed legitimate, and also videocalled her to prove he was inside a police building.
Photo credit: Supplied.
"Then he turned on his front-facing camera and showed me his badge. He stood up, walked around outside, and showed me the building he was in."
She said it seemed completely legitimate but his attitude was "very stern, very scary".
"I thought if I tell the truth, I have nothing to hide," Ling said.
But then it escalated even more.
The police constable said to Ling he had to run her information through his database to check if it had been used by other scammers.
"And this is when it comes back with a positive match."
Ling was "shocked."
This poster explains to the Chinese-speaking community how to spot these types of scams - pointing out that scammers often pose as lawyers, health professionals, or police.
Photo credit: Supplied.
A third person, claiming to be a 'police captain' investigating the money laundering case, was "even scarier" than the first.
Ling handed over her passport information, but stopped short of giving her bank account details.
"[I was] so relieved."
Then by day three or four, she realised it was all fake.
"They were telling me they're going to extradite everyone involved into China."
They even sent fake extradition documents.
"I was so scared. I thought: how am I going to explain this to my husband and children?"
She later realised that's not how extradition works.
And, the first 022 phone call was a giveaway.
"A couple of clues here and there made me feel like I think I'm ready to go to the NZ Police - even though emotionally I was very scared."
Police encouraged Ling to call her bank straight away.
"They reassured me they've seen this before."
The scammers even sent Ling fake 'extradition' documents.
Photo credit: Newshub.
Ling wondered why these scams aren't common knowledge, saying official websites aren't doing the trick.
"A regular person like myself would never ever visit a government website or police website on my own."
Ling didn't tell her husband about the ordeal until day three.
"I feel so embarrassed and so stupid," she said.
"This whole time I thought I could handle it myself, and I don't have to tell my husband to worry him."
When she did eventually go to police, her logical side knew she fell for a scam, but she was "still scared".
Ling's husband was upset for not telling him earlier.
"You're no fool, but they certainly made a fool out of you," he said to Ling.
Her parents "couldn't believe" it either.
Police say shame is a key reason why scam victims don't come forward.
Ling wants to share what happened to her so other Chinese speakers don't fall for the same ploy.
"Go to the police right away. Talk to your family. The way they carry on the script - they slowly escalate the seriousness."
Sean Lyons from NetSafe says new arrivals to Aotearoa may be more of a target for scams - as they may be unfamiliar with Kiwi systems like the law or police.
Photo credit: Newshub.
And it's more important than ever, according to NetSafe's Sean Lyons, because the scam industry is thriving.
"It's still paying off, [and] it's still profitable. There are good methods to follow - it's easy for them to do.
"The convincing nature of what they're able to use to reveal to people, to convince them, is getting only more complex. That means these scams are getting more complex and more difficult to spot."
And new arrivals in Aotearoa may be more of a target, Lyons said.
"When people have arrived in our country, they're not as familiar with the infrastructure - how government systems, the legal system, or the justice system works."
In July, police revealed two people had each lost hundreds of thousands of dollars to three reports of a 'Chinese officials' scam.
Certain scams go away and re-appear years later, so the public is encouraged to be aware of the tricks used, police told Newshub.
In Singapore, scam victims lost about NZ$9 million in just the first half of 2019, falling for the same exact ploy by Chinese officials.
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