2024-01-02 20:01:26
Published2. January 2024, 9:01 p.m
Kidnapping trick: Be careful if you are traveling to the USA as an exchange student
In the USA, cases of online fraud involving foreign guest students are increasing. The latest victim is 17-year-old Kai from China.
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17-year-old Kai Zhuang was discovered in a small tent in a wilderness area in the US state. The teenager was still threatened by his kidnappers and isolated himself.
20 minutes
That’s what it’s regarding
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The Zhuang family from China fell victim to a so-called online kidnapping.
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Son Kai (17) traveled to Utah and lived with a host family there.
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Criminals manipulated the family so that the parents ultimately paid $80,000 in ransom.
When Utah state police found 17-year-old Kai Zhuang, the Chinese exchange student was sitting in freezing temperatures in a small tent on a hill in a wilderness area near Brigham City. His parents in China reported the teenager missing. They claimed that Kai had been kidnapped and his captors were demanding a ransom. The Zhuang family was the victim of a so-called cyber kidnapping trick.
Since when was Kai missing?
The police assume that the Chinese guest student was manipulated by the kidnappers before December 20th, when he was spotted by investigators in the town of Provo, Utah, with camping equipment. On this occasion, the officers took the teenager back to Riverdale, where he was staying with a host family. However, Kai did not tell authorities regarding the threats he received.
How did Kai’s family act?
On December 28th, the Zhuang family contacted the school, which in turn alerted the police. Kai’s parents had told the school administration that they had received a ransom note and a picture of their son indicating that he had been kidnapped.
The cyber kidnappers persuaded the teenager to take photos to make it appear that he was being held captive – even though the kidnappers were not even there. The fraudsters only monitored the victim via Facetime or Skype.
At this point, the Zhuang family had already transferred 80,000 US dollars (the equivalent of 68,000 francs) to the kidnappers.
This is how cyber kidnapping works
Criminals choose exchange students and foreign exchange students as victims. They instruct the young person to self-isolate and provide photos that indicate an abduction. They make the victims believe that otherwise something will be done to their family back home. At the same time, they blackmail the family: The fraudsters send photos of the victim to the relatives in order to demand money.
How often does cyber kidnapping occur?
Recently, cases of online fraud targeting foreign student students have increased in the United States. According to a police source, the criminals are primarily targeting those from China. The Chinese Embassy in Washington called on Chinese people in the US to be wary of “virtual kidnappings” and other forms of telephone and online fraud.
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