Scams are endless!
Chinese female student gets fake cop
Nearly $400,000 scam!
Heavy losses!
A 22-year-old Chinese man is suspected of posing as a Chinese police officer in a virtual kidnapping scam, resulting in a Canberra victim being defrauded of about $400,000. Yesterday, he was granted conditional bail in the Australian Capital Territory Magistrates' Court.
Last August, Zheming Zhang called the victim, a Chinese student living in Canberra, claiming to be her phone service provider, according to court documents.
He told the female victim that her account would be restricted due to the alleged fraudulent activity of her number. In an attempt to refute it, the victim's call was diverted to a person claiming to be from the Shanghai police, who claimed to have conducted multiple follow-up investigations into her suspicious activities.
The fake police officer told her that she could not tell anyone about the communication between them. She was eventually persuaded to stay in a hotel room in Belconnen, where the scam man then went and offered to arrest her.
Court documents show that the victim transferred a total of about $400,000 to overseas accounts while in her hotel room, which she thought was bail.
She was also allegedly told that she needed to leave her university and would be sent back to China, where she provided documents including non-disclosure agreements and extradition orders to support the threats.
Police obtained CCTV surveillance of the hotel and confirmed that the man was Zhang Zheming.
Earlier this month, police arrested him after tracking him down to an address in Queensland.
Zhang faces four charges, including forced imprisonment, asserting himself as a police officer, kidnapping, and deception for financial gain. On Friday, he appeared in court via video link at the ACT District Court, but pleaded not guilty to the charges.
His mother, who came to Australia from China to provide emotional and financial support to her son after the charges were alleged.
Prosecutor Christina Muthurajah said the evidence suggests that Mr. Zhang may have been part of a larger criminal network. She told the court that she believed the network was "sophisticated", involving multiple victims and "exorbitant" amounts — assuming he had access and funds through an international fraud syndicate.
She also noted that Zhang Zheming also had "staggering" similar crimes in other states. "These victims are vulnerable, and some have not chosen to report to the police."
The court also learned that the man had no criminal record and that he may have committed the crime "under pressure".
Chief Magistrate Lorraine Walker noted that "he appears to have been a victim himself in the process." ”
Zhang Zheming was granted conditional bail, including the possibility of continuing to live in university accommodation in Queensland and not being allowed to leave Australia or approach the victim, including electronically.
He will appear in court again in July.