Chinese National Accused of Impersonating US Marshal to Scam Victim

Data show government impersonation scams are a growing problem in the United States.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) in Washington on March 10, 2025. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

A Chinese citizen is accused of impersonating a U.S. marshal in an attempt to con a New York resident out of $98,000.

The St. Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office in Canton, New York, announced on May 23 that its criminal investigation division had arrested Chinese national Chi Liqing two days earlier and charged him with attempted second-degree grand larceny.

The suspect was arrested before he was able to collect money from a local resident as part of an impersonation scam in which individuals posed as U.S. marshals, said authorities.

Chi appeared in Canton Town Court before Judge Rachelle Foster for arraignment and was released afterward, the sheriff’s office said, and he was later taken into custody by Homeland Security Investigations for immigration violations.

The sheriff’s office was assisted by several agencies, including the New York State Police, the U.S. Border Patrol, and the Canton Police Department.

“Law enforcement never demands cash payments,” the sheriff’s office warned. It advised people to contact their local authorities or reach out to official channels if they are being pressured by someone claiming to be an official.

Chi is 29 years old and from Flushing, New York, according to local news outlet WWNY-TV.

U.S. authorities have been warning the public about criminals posing as government or law enforcement officials for years.

In September last year, the U.S. Marshals Service Eastern District of Louisiana warned that criminals had been spoofing the district office’s real number to deceive people into sending payments. The criminals’ tactics included trying to convince people that they would need to pay a fine for offenses, such as failing to report for jury duty, or go to trial.

“Scammers use many different tactics to sound credible. They sometimes provide information like badge numbers, names of actual law enforcement officials and federal judges, and courthouse addresses,” the U.S. Marshals stated.

The FBI’s Albuquerque field office warned last December that scammers could impersonate officials from the FBI, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the Secret Service, or other federal agencies, while spoofing their calls to make it appear that they are from a legitimate agency.

Scammers would tell victims that they are under investigation, have been implicated in a crime, or that their Social Security number has been suspended, according to the FBI.

Data show there has been an alarming increase in government impersonation scams in recent years.

According to a report from the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), 17,367 people reported being victims of government impersonation scams in 2024, up from 14,190 in 2023, and 11,554 in 2022. The reported losses in 2024 totaled more than $405 million, an increase from over $394 million in 2023, and over $240 million in 2022.

In June 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reported an increase in cash payments associated with government impersonation scams from 2022 to 2023.

Consumers reported losing $76 million in cash payments to the scammers in 2023, an increase of 90 percent from $40 million in 2022, according to the FTC report.

“The key fact is this: government agencies will never call, email, text, or message you on social media to ask for money or personal information, and they will never demand a payment. Only a scammer will do that,” the FTC wrote in its report.

In April, a federal grand jury in California indicted another Chinese national, Binghui Liu, on a charge of money laundering conspiracy in connection with a government impersonation scam.