Scammers pretending to be Chinese authorities are increasingly targeting international students in Australia, threatening “serious trouble” and 24-hour surveillance and fleecing them of more than $5m in just five months.
The scammers claim to be Chinese law enforcement officers who demand that personal information or money be transferred to them.
Some accuse students of criminal wrongdoing, such as receiving fake pblockports or credit cards. Victims may be told their identities are being used to commit financial crimes. In some cases, scammers say Australian authorities are planning to arrest and deport them for beaching their visa conditions.
These scams have worried law enforcement for several years but the National Anti-Scam Centre has warned they are becoming more threatening. The centre is managed by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
“We have been seeing more cases of these scams mentioning 24-hour surveillance,” an anti-scam centre spokesperson said. “Since March, there have been 16 cases, with eight reported in May alone.”
“Don’t be pressured by a threatening caller asking you to prove you have not been involved in a crime.
“Hang up and don’t respond. Don’t engage with the caller and do not follow their instructions. If you do, they may escalate their intimidation tactics and attempt to get your money.”
Almost 680 Chinese authority scams were reported to the anti-scam centre in the first five months of 2025. During this period, $5.1m was lost to the scammers, who had a 5.5% success rate. The average loss for those implicated was $138,018.
The victims, according to the Australian government, are predominantly aged between 18 and 24. This cohort – including 21 students – lost $3.3m to the Chinese authority scams. Ten older students were among the 37 people scammed.
The ACCC has previously warned of Chinese students being targeted with “virtual kidnapping” scams. In one case, an 18-year-old student was conned by scammers claiming to be Chinese police, who insisted she hide in her apartment and stage her kidnapping.
The woman sent a series of photos and videos of herself “kidnapped” to her family via the Chinese social media app WeChat. The messages were followed up by others purporting to be from Chinese authorities and telling the relatives to transfer money to secure her release.
“Never leave your camera on because someone has instructed you to,” an ACCC spokesperson said.
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“If someone tells you that you are being investigated, speak to the local police in Australia, the international student support body of your university or your local Australian-Chinese community support service.”
In many cases, the scammers begin by cold calling someone speaking Mandarin, or leaving a message insisting they be urgently called back. They then falsely claim money is needed to prove their targets’ innocence.
The scams are being closely monitored by state police forces, including in Victoria, where officers allege they are part of a “worldwide extortion” strategy.
“They target the Mandarin-speaking community, particularly students of Chinese background,” a police spokesperson said. “The scammers lie to victims about who they are and blackmail them to extort their money.”
The National Anti-Scam Centre has urged people not to provide money or personal information to anyone if there is any doubt as to their credentials.
They have warned scammers often create a sense of urgency to prevent people from carefully blockessing their options.
