Vidya Sethuraman
India Post News Service
Ethnic Minority Media (EMS) recently held a press conference to report on the recent surge in scams targeting Chinese elders in the Bay Area. According to data provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the average loss for each elderly victim reaches $33,000. Beyond the financial toll, targets of scams can lose independence, and suffer reduced quality of life and poor health outcomes. Scams targeting Bay Area monolingual Chinese have had devastating consequences.
Robert K. Tripp, Special Agent in Charge, San Francisco Field Office, FBI said that in the past year, scam victims over the age of 60 in the United States lost a total of $3.4 billion, with California accounting for the highest proportion.
There are more than 20 ways to commit fraud. One scam that is very common in the Bay Area is “investment fraud. This kind of “investment scam” usually starts with an email, phone call or text message from a stranger, and it may be about any form of investment. Cryptocurrency fraud, romance fraud or fake identity fraud are currently more common in the Bay Area.
In impersonation fraud, the scammer may pretend to be a member of the U.S. government or a member of the Chinese consulate. Tripp pointed out that the criminal gangs behind these scams are very organized. These scammers are very professional, work full-time to defraud, have technical support, and are very good at psychological manipulation.
Tripp warned to be alert to emails, phone calls or text messages from strangers. Real companies and individuals will not send emails, phone calls or text messages to ask for money without any reason. His advice is that if you don’t understand something, don’t be pressured to pay; you can say no and slow things down.
Also Read: How to spot AI and phishing scams?
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