Scammers Impersonating Chinese Police Officers Targeting Foreign Students In Philadelphia, FBI Says

CBS Philadelphia

January 21, 2026

Scammers impersonating Chinese police officers are continuing to target international students in Philadelphia – particularly students from China – in an attempt to get money from the victims, the city's FBI field office said.

The FBI said that since 2022, criminals pretending to be police officers have contacted Chinese students attending Philadelphia universities under the guise that the victims are being investigated for alleged financial crimes in China, and need to make a payment in order to avoid being arrested.

The scammers tell victims their personal information has been linked to a financial fraud investigation, and then transfer calls to a Chinese provincial police department that's allegedly investigating the victim, the FBI said. Someone posing as a Chinese police officer then details the alleged crimes and pressures the scam victim to return to China to face trial, threatens them with arrest, coerces them into allowing 24/7 video and audio monitoring and orders them to stay quiet about the alleged case.

Click here for the full story via CBS Philadelphia

CBS Local Digital Media personalizes the global reach of CBS-owned and operated television and radio stations with a local perspective.