FBI Philadelphia PRC Police Extortion PSA
FBI Philadelphia PRC Police Extortion PSA
Video Transcript
Benjamin is a Chinese student attending an American university.
Benjamin: I had to transfer a lot of money to an overseas bank in Hong Kong. Travel to another city and hide out for weeks under 24/7 monitoring, cut contact with everyone and hand over all of my electronic devices. It was so stressful and painful. I feel trapped and saw no escape from that situation.
Scammers are targeting Chinese international students studying at universities in the United States and around the globe.
Benjamin: I had to transfer a lot of money to an overseas bank in Hong Kong. Travel to another city and hide out for weeks under 24/7 monitoring, cut contact with everyone and hand over all of my electronic devices. It was so stressful and painful. I feel trapped and saw no escape from that situation.
That other city is where the FBI found Benjamin after his family reported him missing.
Benjamin: I'm still working through the effects of everything I have been through, but I want to let all the Chinese students know and all of international students so it doesn't happen to them. If you get a phone call like this, just hang up and never be afraid to ask for help.
The FBI is aware of numerous victims of this extortion scam, but we believe there are many more who haven't reported it to law enforcement. If you or someone you know has been affected, we encourage you to contact your local FBI field office. We can connect you with services and resources for victims and will work to hold the scammers accountable.
To learn more: ic3.gov/media/y2024/sa24103
Video Download
Video Source
Recent Video
- 07.09.2025 — FBI Sacramento Year in Review 2025
- 06.18.2025 — Inside the FBI Podcast - Crisis Response Canines
- 06.17.2025 — Romance Scam Victim Warns Others Not to Fall Prey to Scammers
- 06.16.2025 — Kansas City Detective Describes How Regional Computer Forensics Labs Extract Data from Devices
- 06.16.2025 — Kansas City Detective Describes How RCFL Extracted Forensic Clues From Damaged Phone
- 06.12.2025 — FBI San Francisco: Assault on Federal Officers
- 06.10.2025 — FBI Los Angeles May 2025
- 06.04.2025 — Run. Hide. Fight. - Safe in Schools (Trailer)
- 06.02.2025 — Learn About FBI Sacramento's Citizen's Academy
- 06.02.2025 — Inside the FBI Podcast: Justice for Palak Patel: A Life Gone Too Soon
- 05.23.2025 — Inside the FBI Podcast: Searching for the Luhk Sisters
- 05.21.2025 — Ahead of the Threat Podcast: Episode Ten - Hugh Thompson
- 05.21.2025 — Parents of Overdose Victim Describe Darknet Dangers
- 05.20.2025 — FBI Seattle Police Week Message 2025
- 05.14.2025 — Inside the FBI Podcast: Protecting Chinese Students from Scammers
- 05.12.2025 — FBI Director Kash Patel's National Police Week Message
- 05.08.2025 — FBI Search Targets Darknet Drug Networks
- 05.08.2025 — What Makes Darknet Marketplaces So Dangerous
- 05.07.2025 — FBI New York: Operation Restore Justice
- 05.07.2025 — FBI Cleveland - Operation Restore Justice
FBI Weekly Newsletter
Subscribe to our email newsletter for news on the FBI, sent out every week.