Summer is peak travel season, but recently, overseas Chinese have frequently reported receiving calls allegedly from embassies, claiming issues such as "expired passports." These scams aim to trick victims into providing personal and financial information under the pretense of investigations. Reports have emerged from both South Korea and Canada, reminding everyone to stay vigilant against international fraud tactics.
Recently, the Chinese Embassy in South Korea announced on its official website that a number of Chinese citizens have reported phone scams where fraudsters impersonate embassy staff. The scammers falsely claim that "credit cards are involved in international credit card trafficking cases" or that "passports have expired and specific details like the passport number are needed." They even use technical means to disguise their phone numbers as those of the embassy’s main switchboard.
Similarly, there have been reports in Canada of Chinese individuals receiving the same type of phone scam. Fraudulent robocalls pretend to be from the Chinese Embassy, threatening that an expired passport could lead to restrictions on entry and exit. Victims are then guided to follow voice prompts that eventually connect them to scammers who attempt to extract personal information. Additionally, internationally, there have been numerous cases where fraud groups falsely claim things like "someone applied for a passport in your name" or "there is an issue with your passport" to deceive victims.
The Chinese Embassy in South Korea reminds the public that if they receive unsolicited calls related to legal matters, they should be highly vigilant. Official agencies will not notify individuals or request sensitive personal information such as ID numbers or bank account details over the phone. Instead, they use formal channels to deliver any relevant legal documents.
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