Woman Loses 150,000 Yuan to Fake Police Officer in Cao County

In recent years, scams involving individuals impersonating police officers and prosecutors have become increasingly common. A resident of Cao County, Heze, Ms. Sun, fell victim to one such scam, losing 150,000 yuan in a matter of minutes.

Ms. Sun recounted her experience to reporters, stating that she received a video call from a man claiming to be a police officer from the Heze City Public Security Bureau. The individual wore a police uniform and presented a fake police ID. He informed Ms. Sun that she was suspected of money laundering and that the Shenyang Public Security Bureau was investigating her case.

The “policeman” then transferred the call to another individual, who claimed to be from the Shenyang Municipal Public Security Bureau. This person asked Ms. Sun to download a screen sharing software on her mobile phone, allegedly to verify her bank statements. Ms. Sun was instructed to turn on the screen sharing function and was told that the case needed to be kept confidential.

In a state of panic, Ms. Sun followed the instructions and transferred 150,000 yuan from her bank card to a supposed “safe account.” After the transaction, Ms. Sun asked if she had been cleared of suspicion, only to find that the fake police officer had blocked her. Realizing she had been deceived, Ms. Sun immediately contacted the local police station and reported the incident.

The police quickly identified the case as a typical example of fraud by impersonating a public prosecutor and police officer. They promptly froze the payment, and fortunately, Ms. Sun’s 150,000 yuan was recovered before it could be transferred further.

The police urge victims of similar scams to report the incident as soon as possible. The sooner the police are notified, the higher the chances of recovering the defrauded funds.

By Ning Jia, Lightning News reporter, Heze station, Zhou Qi