Northern Ireland

Two international students based in NI scammed out of £105,000

The two students were scammed out of £105,000. Picture by Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire
The two students were scammed out of £105,000. Picture by Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire The two students were scammed out of £105,000. Picture by Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire

TWO international students based in Northern Ireland have been scammed out of £105,000.

Police said one student was told by a person posing as a Chinese police officer to transfer £70,000.

The second was threatened with prison if they did not transfer £35,000 into an account after getting a call from a fraudster claiming to be from what they said was the 'Chinese Embassy'.

The details were revealed by police in a bid to raise awareness about scams.

The PSNI said it has been working with Ulster University and Queen's University Belfast following the recent experiences of the two international students.

Superintendent Gerard Pollock, chair of Scamwise NI Partnership, said: "Sadly, this is a new version of a scam we have seen before, where fraudsters pose as police officers or government officials to con people out of money, now the criminals are posing as international police officers and government officials to target international students.

"The huge sum of money lost by these students are eye watering but, unfortunately, all the criminals see is their gain. I believe other students, both here and elsewhere in the UK, may have received these calls and could have lost substantial amounts of money. Scammers will stop at nothing to trick you out of money with these calls, for your loss and their gain.

"The easiest way to stop it is to apply these five rules - always hang up the call immediately; always delete texts requesting personal information or bank account details; never call the number back; never click on links in text, or respond to unsolicited texts; never ever transfer money to another account. So, it’s important to make clear you should never transfer money to another account having received a call from someone you do not know. Hang up the call."

If you have been a victim of a scam, report it to police on 101, to your bank immediately, online at www.actionfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040.