A student from China who is studying in Northern Ireland was scammed out of £200,000 (€231,000) after sending money to people who claimed to be from the Beijing Police.
The PSNI has sent out a warning after the international student received a fake phone call from two men who told her she was suspected of being involved in money laundering and threatened her with arrest if she didn't pay.
The men, who "even went as far as dressing in police uniforms" according to Detective Superintendent Richard Thornton, received the funds from the woman.
She never heard from them following the transfer.
"These fraudsters went to great lengths to make themselves appear genuine, but that's the last thing they were." he said.
The PSNI said it had received reports of two similar incidents involving fraudsters claiming to be from the "Chinese Embassy" and "Chinese Police" last year.
A total of £105,000 (€121,000) was handed over to them in those cases.
"Being aware of the signs of scams can help prevent these fraudulent crimes and keep people and their money safe," said, Detective Superintendent Thornton.
"The reality is scammers will stop at nothing to trick you out of your money, for your loss and their gain. Being scam aware can make all the difference."
The police have warned the public to be aware of such scams, and said that there are five rules when it comes to spotting them.
"Always hang up the call immediately; always delete texts requesting personal information or bank account details; never call the number back; never click on links in text, or respond to unsolicited texts; never ever transfer money to another account.
"So, it’s important to make clear you should never transfer money to another account having received a call from someone you do not know. Hang up the call."
