The Bellevue Police Department made an announcement of increased fraud, theft, and ID theft cases involving people claiming to be Chinese government officials.

BPD said in a Facebook post earlier this week, that the scammers contact the victims to tell them that they are in trouble and need to pay them money. The scams have operated in numerous ways including coercion to wire money, purchasing electronic gift cards, or telling the victim to withdraw money to give to them.

According to police, one case involved the use of a “official-looking” Chinese police credential to intimidate a victim into giving their money or personal information.

Police urged residents not to respond to someone claiming to be a foreign official asking for money and instead to call the police.