Frenzied text messages are being sent to parents claiming that their children have been kidnapped.
According to NSW Police, there has been an increase in “virtual kidnapping” scams targeting Chinese students’ families in Australia. In the past month, four cases of the scam have been reported, where victims were threatened to pay between $175,000 and $250,000 or face harm. The total amount demanded in these instances is over $750,000.
The “virtual kidnapping” scheme typically works by informing young individuals that they have committed a crime and will be arrested or deported unless they pay a certain amount of money. The communication usually happens over the phone, with the caller often speaking in Mandarin and posing as a representative from a Chinese authority. Using technology to conceal their whereabouts, scammers urge victims to use encrypted messaging apps such as WeChat and WhatsApp to continue the conversation.
Subsequently, the victim is pressured or threatened into transferring significant sums of money into offshore bank accounts whose owners are unknown.
In some cases, the “virtual kidnapping” scam reaches a point where the victim is coerced into staging their own abduction by sending photographs that make it appear as if they have been kidnapped. These pictures are then shared with the victim’s family, accompanied by ransom demands.
According to the police, the families of victims are made to believe that their loved ones are in danger and that they must pay a ransom to secure their “release.” In NSW, there were four reported incidents of “virtual kidnapping” last month.
In one instance, a 22-year-old woman from Sydney’s southwest received a call from someone claiming to be from the Chinese police, accusing her of involvement in a crime. After being told she needed to pay to prove her innocence, she transferred $20,000 to an offshore account. The scammer then demanded an additional $174,000 and instructed her to stage her own kidnapping in a hotel to guarantee her family in China sent over the money. The university staff alerted the police, and investigations began, resulting in the woman being found before any more money was paid.
In another case, a family paid a scammer $270,000 after a 23-year-old Chinese student was forced to stage her own kidnapping.
The police were able to locate the 22-year-old woman safely in a hotel in Sydney, thanks to the alertness of her friends who reported her kidnapping. Detective Superintendent Joe Doueihi, the Robbery and Serious Crime Squad Commander, condemned the act of preying on international students and labeled it “disgraceful.” He emphasized that many of these students are living in a foreign country, away from their loved ones for the first time, making them vulnerable targets.
Det. Supt. Doueihi warned the public to be cautious of calls from individuals who claim to represent Chinese authorities such as the police, prosecutor, or the courts, and demand money transfers. He urged victims not to feel ashamed or embarrassed about reporting these scams to the police and assured them that bilingual officers were available to assist those who spoke English as a second language.
The detectives are collaborating with universities, the NSW government, and the Chinese Embassy and Consulate in Sydney and Canberra to investigate these incidents thoroughly.
The NSW Police have advised anyone who receives a call demanding money under threat of violence to immediately hang up and contact the Chinese Consulate in Sydney to verify the claims. Afterward, they should contact the NSW Police to report the incident. This approach will help individuals avoid falling victim to these “virtual kidnapping” scams and ensure that the police can pursue the perpetrators through all available investigative resources.
