National News
Police warn scammers are using AI to impersonate doctors to scam Mandarin-speakers
Police have issued a warning to Victoria’s Mandarin-speaking community about a fake doctor scam responsible for stealing tens of thousands of dollars from some victims.
Detectives said the fraudsters were using the victims’ names to appear credible before instructing them to buy gift cards and provide the code via text message, with the voices of doctors, general practitioners and surgeons being their most used choices.
Ten reports of the scam were received last month, including from one victim who lost $50,000 to the scam after buying gift cards across a three-day period before they became suspicious. Most victims were repeatedly pressured into buying more gift cards until they had lost almost all their cash.
Cybercrime Squad’s Detective Acting Inspector Eleanor Vallas urged the Mandarin-speaking community to remain vigilant and to call police if they fell victim to the scam, and also to keep records of any phone calls they have about their health, including screen shots of any messages.