A Lake Zurich resident lost more than $1.5 million through a scheme in which they were tricked into sending money to someone posing as a member of Chinese law enforcement, police said Monday.

Lake Zurich police and the FBI are investigating after a resident reported losing about $1.58 million to a scammer posing as a Chinese law enforcement official.
Daily Herald File Photo, 2016

The scammer contacted the victim by phone and posed as a Chinese police officer investigating a criminal matter, Lake Zurich Deputy Police Chief Colin Gaffney said.

Over the course of about five months, the victim was instructed to transfer funds to several accounts in order to avoid prosecution, Gaffney said. By the time the victim contacted Lake Zurich police last week, they had transferred about $1.58 million, police said.

Lake Zurich police are working with the FBI to investigate, Gaffney said.

The FBI last year issued a warning about such scams targeting Chinese nationals living in the U.S.

“Criminals tell victims they are suspects in financial crimes and threaten them with arrest or violence if they do not pay the criminals,” the FBI warning reads. “Criminals exploit widely publicized efforts by the People’s Republic of China government to harass and facilitate repatriation of individuals living in the United States to build plausibility for their fraud.”

The scammers sometimes use “spoofed” phone numbers to make it appear they’re calling from an official government office, and may show victims realistic-looking arrest warrants or intricate details about alleged criminal schemes.

“Criminals may also display basic knowledge of the victim to appear more legitimate,” the warning states.

Anyone who’s been victimized or approached by such scammers is asked to it to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov.