This week, the Bellevue Police Department invited residents and city stakeholders representing the city’s Asian community for “Protect Yourself: Learn How to Spot a Scam,” a conversation about how community members of all ages could take simple preventative measures to ensure they don’t fall victim to a high-dollar scam.
Image from the Bellevue Police’s “Protect Yourself: Learn How to Spot a Scam” bilingual webinar held on Wednesday, October 8, 2025.
The bilingual webinar was in response to the large public interest following a set of incidents where young people were threatened by scammers (posing as Chinese law enforcement) to wire large sums of money in order to prevent a future arrest from happening. These reported incidents dated back to December 2024, and some victims wired up to a million dollars before contacting Bellevue Police. The incidents prompted many Bellevue community members to ask law enforcement what preventative steps could be taken to protect themselves from becoming victims too.
Any person who believes they may be a victim of a scam should report it immediately. They can do so by going to the FBI’s online tipline (https://www.ic3.gov/) or contacting Bellevue Police at 425-577-5656.
“The best way to protect yourself would be to independently authenticate the individual you are speaking with as soon as possible,” said James Brack, Detective Sergeant for the Bellevue Police Department. “Even if it’s verifying a person’s place of employment, a simple verification through a verified source could reduce the chance that you will not become a victim of a scam.”
Bellevue Police would like to remind community members that law enforcement will never make monetary demands in lieu of making an arrest. Police agencies, including the Bellevue Police Department, only enforce state and city laws.
Bellevue Police’s Crime Prevention expert Ruby Daly gave this advice about how to spot a scam: “If it sounds too good to be true, think twice about it. Verify the company that’s contacted you before pursuing an opportunity that seems too good to be real.”
Money scams are very common in Bellevue and across the nation. The Bellevue Police Department asks all of its community members to stay vigilant and look for these flags when approached by a stranger either online or by phone:
- They use social media to gain your trust
- They pretend to be from an organization that you know
- They say there’s a problem or a prize
- They pressure you to act immediately
- They tell you to pay in a specific way
- They tell you not to call police
Earlier this year, Bellevue Police published the top five ways community members can spot a scam. The article can be found via the Bellevue Beat Blog.
Bellevue Beat Blog 