6 days ago
Chinese student attending Purdue University scammed out of more than $220K
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN — Someone posing as a Chinese official conned a 20-year-old Chinese student out of more than $220,000, according to West Lafayette police.
The man reported to West Lafayette police on Friday that while living in Washington state, he'd been contacted by a person claiming to be a Chinese official, who claimed the victim's phone number was linked to phone scams in China.
To avoid being deported back to China, the man paid $186,000, according to West Lafayette police.
After he moved to West Lafayette, the Purdue University student claimed he was again contacted by someone claiming to be a Chinese official threatening to deport him back to China unless he sent $35,000 by wire to a Hong Kong bank.
The student sent the money at the first of the month. He later reported he was a victim of the scam, but his report was too late to get his money back, police said. His wired money already cleared the Hong Kong bank, police said.
West Lafayette police Lt. Jon Eager warned that foreigners are particularly vulnerable to scams like this because the scammer often tells the victim they'll be deported if they don't send the money. It's a common scam, he noted.
Reach Ron Wilkins at rwilkins@ Follow on Twitter: @RonWilkins2.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Chinese student in West Lafayette scammed out of more than $220K
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