(Photo: Reuters)

Chicago police have issued a warning to Chinese people living in the city to be aware of a new financial scam via phone, according to a statement posted on its official website Wednesday.

According to Chicago police, scammers impersonate people from the Chinese Consulate office or Chinese Embassy by using internet technology to disguise the number. But in fact many of the calls are coming from overseas.

Most of the cases, a scammer called or left voice messages to people from Chinese community in Chicago or even in the US, accusing the victim of being involved in criminal activity and request that they provide personal information to avoid being in trouble with the Chinese Consulate.

The scammer will then instruct the victim to wire all of their money to a certain account to prove their innocence. Some cases have already incurred heavy financial losses.

The Chinese Consulate in Chicago says it never call anyone to transfer money. On its official website, several warnings have been posted to remind overseas Chinese and Chinese students to maintain vigilance against financial scams.

The Chicago police remind anyone who has been a victim of a scam, to contact the Chinese Consulate in Chicago, call 911 and report as much information as possible.