A suspect has been arrested in connection with a telephone scam that targeted the Asian community in Mississauga, resulting in a loss of almost $100,000 for one victim.
According to Peel Regional Police, the scam involved the suspect posing as a representative from a Chinese law enforcement agency and convincing the victim to transfer large sums of money to a bank account in China. The victim, a man in his 60s, fell for the scam and ended up losing nearly $100,000.
After receiving a report of the scam, police launched an investigation and were able to identify and arrest a suspect on March 25. The suspect, 25-year-old Xiangyu Zhang, has been charged with fraud over $5,000 and possession of property obtained by crime.
Police are reminding the public to be cautious when receiving unsolicited calls, especially those requesting personal or financial information. They advise individuals to never give out personal information over the phone and to verify the legitimacy of the caller before taking any action.
This is not the first time the Asian community in Mississauga has been targeted by scammers. In January, police warned of a similar scam where the caller posed as a Chinese police officer and convinced victims to transfer money to avoid being arrested.
Anyone with information about this or other similar scams is urged to contact Peel Regional Police or Crime Stoppers anonymously.
