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May 8, 2009 5:36 pm US/Central
Dallas FBI Warns Of Asian-American Extortion Scam
DALLAS (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
Officials with the FBI say a scam involving threats against Asian-American business owners has moved from the east and west coasts to North Texas. A handful of threats have been made to businesses in Plano.
According to authorities the scam starts with a Chinese-speaking male calling an Asian-American business owner, threatening to hurt them, and damage their business if a certain amount of money isn't paid. Usually the sum requested was in the tens of thousands of dollars.
Known for their smoothies, Crush Juice Bar, just opened in Plano. Even though the businesses along Legacy Drive have guarded themselves against crime they're being warned by the FBI about a growing scam.
The scammer often tells the business owner that he has ties to Chinese organized crime and refers to personally identifiable information about the business owner. "They are doing a fair amount of just basic research on individuals so they can indicate to them that they know a little bit about them and a little bit about their businesses," explained Michael J. Anderson with the Dallas FBI. "So it makes the threat appear to be more credible."
So far none of the people targeted were contacted afterwards and none of the threats have been carried out.
Businesses like Crush say they're taking precautions and making sure every call is screened.
Authorities believe the phone calls in several offenses across the nation originated from China using internet phone services.
If you are a victim of this extortion scam, please call the Dallas FBI at (972) 559-5000 or your local law enforcement agency.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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