# Who's gotten the Chinese scam calls? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 3, 2019, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-gotten-the-chinese-scam-calls/833443 "2019-05-03T21:36:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21825_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2019, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-gotten-the-chinese-scam-calls/833443/1 "2019-05-03T21:36:15Z")
In the last week or so, I’ve had several voicemails that are apparently part of the [Chinese phone scam ring](https://www.pcmag.com/news/367491/chinese-embassy-robocall-scam-rakes-in-40m-from-victims). My husband has also gotten several, but our daughter hasn’t… yet, I suppose. We’re all in Maryland, but we have 3 different area codes among our phones. So, if you’ve gotten one (or more) of these calls, chime in and share your location, if you don’t mind. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2019, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-gotten-the-chinese-scam-calls/833443/2 "2019-05-03T22:24:48Z")
I’ve received some weird voicemails with a woman speaking what I assume is a Chinese language. The audio is always very poor, like a tape recording of a recording of a recording. I can’t understand what she’s saying but it seems like the message doesn’t start from the beginning and might be a loop. Chicago. ---
**Author:** ![cormac262](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@cormac262](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cormac262)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2019, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-gotten-the-chinese-scam-calls/833443/3 "2019-05-03T22:33:10Z")
San Diego CA. We have been receiving these chinese (woman) spam calls at the office for months. Probably close to 9 months now. The spambot just circulates through each of the office landlines. ---
**Author:** ![UnwittingAmericans](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d9b06d/32.png) [@UnwittingAmericans](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UnwittingAmericans)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2019, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-gotten-the-chinese-scam-calls/833443/4 "2019-05-03T22:34:31Z")
I’ve been getting them on my cell for about a year, probably half a dozen. They always have tinkly music in the background. The one time I looked up the number, it was spoofing the consulate in NY. ---
**Author:** ![I.Dunno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9f8e36/32.png) [@I.Dunno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I.Dunno)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2019, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-gotten-the-chinese-scam-calls/833443/5 "2019-05-03T23:34:51Z")
I get one or two a month. I have a call blocker of some kind but they go to voice mail where I find them by accident. I’ve wondered what the hell they are for. I can’t understand them so what good do they do the caller? Always on my cell, never on my landline. St. Louis area. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2019, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-gotten-the-chinese-scam-calls/833443/6 "2019-05-03T23:41:19Z")
> [@I.Dunno](#): > > I get one or two a month. I have a call blocker of some kind but they go to voice mail where I find them by accident. I’ve wondered what the hell they are for. I can’t understand them so what good do they do the caller? They’re not targeted to you. Did you read the link in the OP? ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2019, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-gotten-the-chinese-scam-calls/833443/7 "2019-05-04T02:52:21Z")
I’ve gotten a few. Always on my cell phone. There may have been calls to my land line, but I never answer that phone (it exists only so my wife can call her parents back home – most of the time, the ringer isn’t even on). I live in New York City. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2019, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-gotten-the-chinese-scam-calls/833443/8 "2019-05-04T02:58:01Z")
Before I knew it was a scam, I’d hear in Mandarin “This is the Chinese Embassy —“ and I just instinctively knew that no good could come of listening any further. I seem to get the calls in fits and spurts. Six months ago, I’d get one or two a day. Then it stopped until a month ago, now I get one a week or so. ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2019, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-gotten-the-chinese-scam-calls/833443/9 "2019-05-04T03:01:12Z")
We’re in Texas but our phones are from Los Angeles. Both DH and I get these calls every few days. The calls are spoofed to appear to be from a lot of different places but the voice on the messages sounds like the same woman. Latest one showed it was coming from Delaware. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2019, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-gotten-the-chinese-scam-calls/833443/10 "2019-05-04T03:03:58Z")
I’ve gotten it once, in L.A. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2019, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-gotten-the-chinese-scam-calls/833443/11 "2019-05-04T03:10:56Z")
Oregon and San Francisco area. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2019, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-gotten-the-chinese-scam-calls/833443/12 "2019-05-04T03:16:45Z")
According to that article > [@](#): > > The average loss per victim was over $164,000, the FBI said in public service announcement about the “Chinese Embassy scam.” But it’s bit odd - it gives little explanation of how Chinese ex-pats are being scammed out of such huge amounts of money. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2019, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-gotten-the-chinese-scam-calls/833443/13 "2019-05-04T03:18:23Z")
I get them from time to time. I know it’s Mandarin because they start with Ni Hao which is nearly the extent of my Mandarin. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2019, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-gotten-the-chinese-scam-calls/833443/14 "2019-05-04T03:19:37Z")
In Chicago, these came to my workphone, and several of my coworkers’ within minutes of each other. We had a confused laugh together. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2019, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-gotten-the-chinese-scam-calls/833443/15 "2019-05-04T03:33:31Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > According to that article > > But it’s bit odd - it gives little explanation of how Chinese ex-pats are being scammed out of such huge amounts of money. Yeah. How does it get from “You are under investigation” to losing $164,000? The article doesn’t really say. Not many immigrants or visiting scholars have $164,000 in cash lying around to lose. ---
**Author:** ![TSBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@TSBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TSBG)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2019, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-gotten-the-chinese-scam-calls/833443/16 "2019-05-04T03:59:59Z")
I received many, many of these (NYC number). I’m now receiving robocalls in English from a woman speaking in some kind of East Asian accent (my guess Chinese, but I’m not qualified to say). The calls say something about a problem with my Bank of America account, and I’ve never listened past that. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2019, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-gotten-the-chinese-scam-calls/833443/17 "2019-05-04T04:03:40Z")
Funny thing–in our office those calls sometimes come in waves and they go numerically from number to number, cascading across the room. My conspiracy-minded coworker is sure that the Chinese are attempting a major hack on the country’s phone infrastructure. ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2019, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-gotten-the-chinese-scam-calls/833443/18 "2019-05-04T04:45:01Z")
Got them here (CT) at work. You could hear the phones ring down the hall one after the other ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2019, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-gotten-the-chinese-scam-calls/833443/19 "2019-05-04T05:11:08Z")
About 1-2 times per month, especially on my work phone, which I basically never use and barely receive calls except internal. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2019, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-gotten-the-chinese-scam-calls/833443/20 "2019-05-04T05:34:13Z")
Oh man, I miss all the fun. Haven’t had these. And color me skeptical on each individual getting taken for $164,000. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-gotten-the-chinese-scam-calls/833443.md?page=2)