In the past two days, the "kidnapped" Chinese student Zhuang (Kai Zhuang), who has attracted the attention of countless Chinese and Chinese netizens, has been found safely.
Thankfully, the child was found safely, and the family in China was relieved.
Zhuang Kai, 17, was found at the last minute on Dec. 31, 2023, in the canyon area of Brigham City, Utah, when he was in a tent halfway up the mountain, and was found "very cold and scared" when police said he had been "kidnapped by a cyber scam."
Kai Zhuang was last seen around 3:30 a.m. on Thursday, when the local Riverdale Police Department asked the public for help finding him on Friday.
His parents, who are far away in China, told police that they had received a kidnapping ransom letter on Thursday with a picture of their son and demanded a ransom, and that they thought the child was in danger and rushed to contact the child's American high school.
Zhuang Kai's host family in the United States said they did not know the boy was missing, and that they had last seen him the night before, and that they had heard him in the early hours of the next morning.
At the time of his initial disappearance, there were reports that he had been "forcibly taken" from his home in Utah and held against his will, but police soon ruled out that possibility. The local police department worked with the FBI and the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, and the direction of the investigation quickly turned to him possibly leaving the public eye alone.
Riverdale Police Chief Casey Warren said it was a cyber scam.
Zhuang Kai was de facto manipulated and controlled by "cyber kidnappers" who convinced him that his family in China was threatened. Zhuang's parents have paid a ransom of $80,000 to the kidnappers.
Detective Warren also revealed that they had not encountered similar cases before, but after the FBI introduced them to a number of recent cyber kidnapping crimes, they turned their investigation to cyber crimes and learned about the severity of cyber kidnappings.
After investigation, surveillance footage captured Zhuang Kai's process of buying camping equipment before he was discovered. Authorities also found Mr. Zhuang's phone and banking records, and traced his recent shopping history, which included various camping materials.
Beginning Saturday, police began searching for a possible campground for the teenager, and police also asked the Webb County Sheriff's Office drone search and rescue team to step in because they were concerned about Zhuang's safety in the freezing conditions.
Soon, Inspector Engelstrom hiked up the hill and found Zhuang Kai's tent in a wooded area.
When Zhuang Kai was found, he was very cold and scared, but his vital signs were normal. This was a relief for search and rescue personnel.
"There was no heat source in the victim's tent, just a thermal blanket, a sleeping bag, limited food and water, and several cell phones, all of which were presumably abducted from the cyber," Sheriff Warren said in a statement.
Firefighters checked him for signs of hypothermia and ruled out other illnesses. According to KSL, before being taken to the Riverdale Police Department, Zhuang Kai also spoke to his family and was given a hot burger.
When we first reported that international students were kidnapped, many netizens said that it might be an Internet scam, and why netizens were far ahead of the police to solve the case is because there are too many similar cases in the overseas Chinese student circle.
Previously, four Chinese students in Canada were suspected of being "kidnapped and disappeared", but in the end, all four were found safely, and they were all hid because of Internet scams.
Screenshot of the circle of friends posted by the missing international student
Although it is not known how Zhuang Kai was deceived by criminals into hiding in the mountains, in previous cases, many victims intimidated the lives of their family members in China.
In the previous case of multiple disappearances in Canada, an international student received a call from the Chaoyang Public Security Bureau in Beijing, saying that he may be involved in a case of drug crimes and needs to return to China for quarantine review, but considering that he is still a minor, he can be quarantined and investigated locally in Toronto, and asked him to buy a new mobile phone and phone number during the investigation, and not to contact other people, otherwise his parents' lives will be in danger in China.
While these scams may sound flawed, they can be very effective for minors. The immaturity of young thoughts, the fear for the safety of their parents and themselves, and the desire to leave a tainted record, make these international students easily deceived by criminals.
Earlier, the Chinese Consulate in Canada issued an important reminder:
Once again, the majority of international students and new immigrants are reminded to pay attention to telecom fraud, and do not disclose their name, address, family situation, bank account and other personal information to strangers on the phone. If you mention on the phone that "a package has been detained", "you are involved in a criminal case", "you have a legal document to sign", etc., please hang up decisively. If the caller asks "do not contact family and friends to ensure their safety", or makes other unreasonable advice, do not believe it, and immediately debunk the other party's fraudulent tricks. Due to the rapid flow of information, it is not excluded that criminals will update the scam script again according to changes in the situation. The majority of Chinese students and new immigrants must remain vigilant and vigilant!
In the case of Zhuang Kai, it is unclear how long he has been in contact with the perpetrator or whether he has been brought back to his host family, and the police say the case is still under investigation and more details will be released later.
Anyway, at the last moment of 2023, the child was finally found safely! Thanks to the efforts of the police, I also hope that other international students can learn from him, and be careful of this kind of phone scam. Regardless of whether parents are around their children or not, they should carry out daily "anti-fraud" education.
Finally, for the New Year, the editor also wants to ask these liars, Chinese do not deceive Chinese, you deceive a child, don't your conscience hurt?