New twist on phone scams hitting Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Robocalls are nothing new, but a new twist on phone scams is hitting the Bay Area.
Lately, many people in the U.S. And Canada are getting calls in Mandarin relating to a new scam.
An ABC7 news producer received a message saying DHL has a package that will be returned to sender soon.
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Other variations include, "Your phone is about to be shut off." Especially alarming to an immigrant community is another message saying, "This is the Chinese Consulate calling, you have to pick up an important document that affects your immigration status."
All of them ask you to press a number, if you do, you get connected to someone who tells you you're linked to a financial crime in China and need to send money to resolve it or face arrest.
San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon sent out a community warning Tuesday saying it's essentially the same scam in any language and the response should be the same.
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Don't engage, don't send money.
New York City police say since December, dozens of victims have lost $3 million to this scam.
If you or someone you know has been targeted, please report it. Click here to contact the San Francisco District Attorney.
Click here for more stories, photos, and video on scams and how to avoid them.
