How scammers are ‘virtually kidnapping’ Chinese students in Australia
Chinese students 'virtually kidnapped' in China
Police in Sydney, Australia have warned that “virtual kidnapping” scams are on the rise, targeting international Chinese students and causing serious financial and psychological harm. Over the past month, there have been four cases reported, with the victims – aged between 17 and 23 – being ordered to pay up to AUD 280,000 or face deportation. The students are forced to fake their own kidnappings and photographs are then sent to their families, with a ransom demand for their release.
Why are cases of “virtual kidnapping” rising?
The latest wave of incidents has resulted in demands for more than AUD 750,000, and victims or their families have paid between AUD 170,000 and AUD 270,000. The crime is being conducted interstate and overseas, with millions of dollars netted by scammers worldwide. Police have expressed concern that the return of international students to Australia after the pandemic has been driving the resurgence of these scams.
How does a virtual kidnapping take place?
The scams begin with a cold call from someone speaking Mandarin, who claims to represent a Chinese authority such as the embassy, consulate or police. The student is told they have been implicated in a crime and must pay a large sum of money or cryptocurrency into an offshore Chinese bank account to avoid being deported or arrested.
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The scam can last for several days and then escalates to the victim being forced to fake their own kidnapping and send pictures to their family, demanding a ransom for their safe release.
According to Detective Superintendent Joe Doueihi, “Unfortunately, on all the cases we've seen, the victims legitimately believe they are speaking to Chinese officials and that the threats will occur if they don't comply.”
Chinese and Australian authorities react
Australian police have urged anyone who has been affected by these scams to contact the authorities. Chinese representatives have assured that no official or law enforcement officer would ever contact a Chinese student and demand money from them or their families.
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Police are cooperating closely with Chinese and Australian authorities to crack down on the networks behind the scam, which does not discriminate across all ages, genders and socio-economic levels. The latest victims suffered not only financially, but also experienced huge psychological stress, with some even being hospitalised due to the trauma they experienced.
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