Toronto police have issued a public safety alert about an ongoing scam targeting members of the Chinese community in which victims are allegedly threatened with extradition if they do not pay.

Police said there has been an increase in the frequency of the incidents, prompting them to alert the public.

According to police, victims have received unsolicited phone calls from a Mandarin-speaking person who often identifies as an operator with a major cellular company.

The caller would then advise the victim that an account was opened in China under their name and that it had been used to commit fraud.

Police said the caller would transfer the victim to another person who claims to be a police officer in China.

The “police officer” would advise the victim that they are being investigated for fraud before threatening them with extradition unless funds are provided. In another instance, police said the officer would ask for funds to be sent so the victim’s name would be cleared in China.

Toronto police have not said how many complaints they have received regarding the scam. They advise the public to look out for several red flags when answering unknown calls, including threats of extradition from Canada by a foreign national, demands payment to cover the costs of an investigation or damages of an overseas crime, and the call is threatening.

In addition, police are urging anyone not to provide personal information and banking details over the phone, not to give copies of their passport or other identification documents, and not to transfer funds overseas - including cryptocurrency – in response to demands over the telephone.

If you have provided sensitive information to anyone, police said you should contact a credit agency and have your accounts monitored.

Anyone who has information or who thinks they may have been a victim of this scam should contact police at 416-808-7300 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477) or www.222tips.com.