When U.S. police found Zhekang (not his real name) in a makeshift tent in the mountains of Brigham City, Utah, he had been inaccessible for more than three days. A few days ago, the 17-year-old Chinese student suffered a "virtual kidnapping" telecom fraud, and was safely recovered with the efforts of the local police and the embassy, which also brought this new form of telecom fraud back to attention.
Nandu reporters combed and found that in recent years, Chinese students in many places have encountered similar "virtual kidnapping" telecom fraud, they were either deceived by fraudsters pretending to be the police and other authoritative departments, or were told that their families were threatened, and finally they were induced to cut off contact with the outside world and send "self-directed" ransomware information to their families. For this reason, the police in many places and our embassies and consulates in many countries have announced relevant cases or made safety reminders.
Recently, a number of international security education experts and front-line anti-fraud police officers pointed out in an interview with Nandu and N video reporters that the means and techniques used in "virtual kidnapping" are not particularly complicated, and they are still the "lowest-level" telecommunications fraud, but international students are generally young and lack social experience, and they are often easy to "be tricked" after receiving intimidation and inducement.
Following the instructions of the "kidnappers", he hid in the mountains and was disconnected for several days
On December 31, the last day of 2023, just after snow fell in the mountains of Brigham City, Utah, the United States, Riverdale police struggled through the thick snow to find Zhekang, a Chinese student who had lost contact with him in a "kidnapping case".
Riverdale police search for Zhekang in the mountains of Brigham City.
Three days earlier, on the evening of December 28, staff at Zhekang's school had sought help from the local police. The school said Zhekangyuan's parents in China contacted the school and said they had received ransom messages and photos indicating that their son had been kidnapped.
A police investigation found that Zhekang was last seen on December 27. His host family in Riverdale, Utah, told police that they had seen him on the night of the 27th and heard him in his room a little later, but they had no idea about his abduction.
Zhekang's disappearance, coupled with the constant intimidation and blackmail of the "kidnappers", convinced Zhekang's parents that their child had been "kidnapped and in danger". To protect their children, they paid a "ransom" of $80,000 to a Chinese bank account provided by the "kidnappers".
At the same time, however, Riverdale police worked with the FBI, the U.S. Embassy in China and Chinese personnel to try to obtain information about Zhekang's whereabouts through cell phone records and bank statements.
The police found that in fact, as early as December 20, Zhekang had purchased camping equipment and tried to leave his host family to go camping alone. On his way to camp, he met the police in Pruofo, who saw that he was alone and arranged transportation to take him back to his host family. At that time, he did not disclose the fact that he had been threatened to his host family guardian and the police.
According to the consumption records, the police learned that he had recently been to the mountainous area of Brigham City, and speculated that Zhekang might go to camp nearby alone again this time, so they sent additional people to continue the search.
On December 31, the police finally found Zhekang in a simple tent in the mountains of Brigham City, wearing a thick coat and feeling "very cold and scared".
Zhekang (not his real name) was found in an improvised tent in the mountains of Brigham City.
When found, Zhekang's tent contained a sleeping bag, blankets, a small amount of food, drinking water, and several cell phones. Police said the phones were used to take photos and communicate with the "kidnappers." Zhekang said that because he believed that his family would be harmed, he followed the instructions of "cyber kidnappers" and hid in the mountains to create the illusion of being kidnapped. He is currently in good health and has also been in contact with his family.
After the Zhekang case, the Chinese Embassy in the United States once again reminded Chinese citizens in the United States, especially those studying in the United States, to raise their security awareness, strengthen security precautions, and be highly vigilant against telecommunications network fraud such as "virtual kidnapping" to avoid damage to personal and property safety.
The FBI also said that a number of online "virtual kidnapping" cases targeting Chinese students have been reported across the United States recently. The Utah State Police Chief urged the public not to rush to send money when they notice something wrong, and to report to the police immediately. "I hope that foreign students will trust the police and cooperate with the police to ensure their own safety and that of their families abroad. ”
A number of Chinese students have been recruited
At present, Zhekang's case is under further investigation. Nandu reporters combed and found that in recent years, many Chinese students have fallen into the "virtual kidnapping" scam.
In August 2023, the Chinese Embassy in the UK announced a case. Mr. Wang, a Chinese citizen, panicked after receiving a video from his son, Xiao Wang, who is studying at a university in the UK, and called the embassy for help. In this video sent through Xiao Wang's WeChat, Xiao Wang's hands and feet are tied.
In view of the frequent emergence of the new type of fraud method of "virtual kidnapping" in the UK at that time, and the fraudsters generally only sought the victim's money and would not pose a threat or harm to the victim's personal safety, the embassy staff first advised Mr. Wang not to rush to transfer money and instructed him to contact the Chinese and British police to report to the police.
During the embassy's communication with the police and Xiao Wang's school, the kidnappers kept urging Mr. Wang to send money quickly through Xiao Wang's WeChat.
However, after reviewing the kidnapping video and surveillance video, the police found many suspicious points, believing that Xiao Wang's state did not look like he had really been kidnapped, so he suggested that Mr. Wang shut down Xiao Wang's mobile phone number to block the communication channel between the scammer and Xiao Wang.
Sure enough, not long after the shutdown, Mr. Wang received a call from Xiao Wang.
It turned out that on the day of the incident, Xiao Wang received a call from a person claiming to be a foreign police and immigration bureau, saying that Xiao Wang's savings card was suspected of money laundering, which is a felony abroad, and his parents were also implicated. The scammer also showed Xiao Wang a search warrant, a manhunt warrant and other documents. Xiao Wang, who believed it to be true, cut off contact with the outside world according to the request of the liar and slept on the streets.
The scammer told Xiao Wang that as long as he paid a security deposit of $500,000, he could waive his legal responsibility. But asking his parents directly is likely to fail, so the scammer spent a lot of effort to persuade Xiao Wang to pretend to be kidnapped, and recorded a video and voice message to his family to ask for ransom, which is the first scene.
Coincidentally, also in the summer of 2023, Tian Zhen (pseudonym), a Chinese student in Japan, also "directed and acted" a "kidnapping case" at the instigation of a criminal gang.
According to Tian Zhen's later recollection, in July of that year, she received a phone call saying that she was suspected of being involved in a fraud case, and a criminal pretending to be a police officer asked Tian Zhen to stay in a hotel alone without telling her family and friends on the grounds of confidential investigation.
During his stay at the hotel, Tian Zhen connected to the video according to the instructions of the other party and put himself under the surveillance of the camera.
A photo of Tian Zhen (pseudonym) being "kidnapped" to his mother.
"Since I am a 'suspect', it is understandable to be monitored. In order to clear my name, I must fully cooperate with the investigation. Tian Zhen said.
The man, who identified himself as a police officer, told Tian Zhen that the suspects involved in the case would be sent back to China for investigation and that bail would be required to avoid arrest. Tian Zhen, who wanted to stay in Japan for further study, naturally did not want to be sent back to China, and there were only two weeks before the exam. So, Tian Zhen concealed the real reason for asking his parents for help, and transferred about 24 million yen into the designated bank account.
Unexpectedly, the other party had to inch in, and asked her to pretend to be kidnapped and force her parents to pay a ransom, "and then the investigation can be ended."
Tian Zhen, who was suffering physically and mentally, obeyed the instructions, bought paint, pretended to be bleeding from his forehead and the corners of his mouth after being beaten, set up his mobile phone to take photos of "being kidnapped", sent them to his mother in China, and demanded "ransom" from his family in the tone of a kidnapper.
"Please don't hurt my child. In the chat log, Tian Zhen's mother pleaded.
In the end, the worried mother asked someone to report the case to the Tokyo police, and the police successfully found the hotel where Tian Zhen was, and Tian Zhen realized that he had been deceived.
Police, embassies and consulates in many places have issued safety reminders
"I have assisted in many similar cases of 'virtual kidnapping' of Chinese students. On January 3, Wang Xuejun, an expert in the Ministry of Education's "Safe Study Abroad" pre-departure training program and an expert on international security education, told reporters from Nandu that "virtual kidnapping" is usually divided into two situations: one is that the "kidnappers" target foreign students, see that the victim and their families cannot be contacted immediately, and inform the victim students through Internet phone calls that their families in their hometown have been threatened and ask them to act as instructed;
In another case, the criminal gang of "virtual kidnapping" will impersonate the police and other authoritative departments, call the international student to inform him that he or she will face punishment if he is suspected of violating the law, and then he will express his belief that the student did not participate in the crime, but he needs to transfer the money to a safe account to prove his innocence. Then the criminal gang induced the students to shoot a video of the kidnapping on the grounds of "the need to handle the case", cut off contact with the outside world, and finally pretended to be robbers and used the video to blackmail the parents.
Nandu reporters noticed that in response to the involvement of international students in the "virtual kidnapping" case, the police in Shanghai, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Anhui, Inner Mongolia, Qinghai and other places, as well as our embassies and consulates in many countries, have announced relevant cases or made safety reminders.
Last year, the Criminal Investigation Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security issued a document reminding parents of international students that when they receive a phone call, picture or video claiming that their child has been kidnapped, they must stay calm, and learn about the situation and seek help from the police, embassies and consulates or their children's schools through formal channels, so as not to be deceived.
The Criminal Investigation Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security issued a reminder on "virtual kidnapping" scams for international students.
The Criminal Investigation Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security said that the public security organs will not handle cases by phone or social software, let alone ask for money to be transferred to any "safe account" in various names; if international students receive suspicious calls claiming to be "police handling cases" or "assisting in investigations", they should hang up immediately, do not listen or believe it, and promptly contact the Chinese embassy or consulate through official channels, teachers and classmates in their schools, and If parents of international students receive suspicious phone calls, whether it is kidnapping or fraud, they should immediately report to the police, and do not trust others or transfer money.
In August last year, the Chinese Consulate General in Edinburgh also issued a document stating that it had continuously received reports from Chinese students that they had suffered "virtual kidnapping" telecom fraud. The Consulate reminds the majority of Chinese students in Scotland to enhance their awareness of prevention, improve their ability to identify, and avoid being deceived.
The consulate stressed that anyone who claims to be a public security officer and can transfer the call to a police officer, who claims to be a public prosecutor and law enforcement officer who uses telephone, QQ, WeChat, Skype, WhatsApp, Instagram and other social media to handle cases online and also displays a wanted notice for the "party", who threatens to cancel his studies and be sent back to China, who asks for money to be transferred to a "safe account" or who must leave his residence for investigation and cut off contact with the outside world, are all frauds.
The consulate also suggested that you download the "National Anti-Fraud Center" mini program with the function of reporting and calling early warning to learn Xi anti-fraud knowledge and improve the awareness of prevention. If you receive a similar call, don't panic, hang up immediately, and ask your family, classmates, and the consulate general for help.
It is a low-level fraud aimed at special groups
Although there have been many cases of international students and parents being deceived, Zhong He (pseudonym), an anti-fraud policeman, told reporters from Nandu that although "virtual kidnapping" is a new type of fraud, its essence is no different from traditional telecom fraud, which is to grasp the victim's mentality through "inducement" and "fright", so as to commit fraud.
Senior anti-fraud police officer Xie also told the reporter that "virtual kidnapping" is actually still the "lowest level" of telecommunications fraud, and the means and techniques used by fraudsters are not particularly complex, but the target group is relatively special, so the success rate is relatively high.
Officer Xie pointed out that ordinary telecom fraud is usually carried out by "casting a wide net", and there are very few victims who actually go to the last step to transfer money. However, fraudsters who target international students often have already laid out the situation in advance.
Fraudsters often obtain the contact information of international students and their parents through various channels such as filling in questionnaires and registering information on social software, especially international students need to provide personal information in many stages of applying to go abroad, so they are likely to be taken advantage of by criminals with intentions and become potential victims.
After going abroad, international students are thousands of miles away, and parents cannot find their children or get in direct contact with the school in the first place. Therefore, as long as fraudsters can control the mobile phones and whereabouts of international students, they can defraud their parents in China.
Usually, fraudsters will get in touch with international students in advance, use various means to trick international students into hiding themselves, or bombard them with phone calls to make their mobile phones unable to get in touch with the outside world. "At this point, the whole scam is 90% successful. ”
Next, fraudsters only need to target the parents of international students to carry out fraud, "basically one scam and one quasi".
Therefore, Officer Xie believes that in order to make criminals invisible, the first thing is that international students themselves should raise their awareness of prevention, and contact their families as soon as possible when encountering suspicious situations.
Wang Xuejun also analyzed to reporters in the southern capital that the reason why the black hand of "virtual kidnapping" will reach out to Chinese students is first of all because international students are generally young and lack social experience. In addition, many Chinese students lack security education, do not have a strong sense of crisis, and have a weak ability to protect personal information, which is easy to provide opportunities for criminals.
Wang Xuejun believes that once international students and their parents encounter a "kidnapping" case, they should first treat the case as a real kidnapping case, regardless of whether it is a "virtual kidnapping" or not, and should deal with the criminals calmly and rationally, immediately report to the police, and at the same time report to the Chinese embassies and consulates abroad.
"But be careful, you must not let the criminals know that you have called the police, and you must find and contact the student through the school and friends that the child is familiar with. He suggested that at this time, we must listen to the analysis and arrangement of the police and professionals, deal with criminals calmly and reasonably, and buy more time for the police to determine whether it is a "virtual kidnapping". "The 'virtual kidnapping' will definitely leave some traces that can be detected by means such as analyzing the photos of the kidnapped. Don't send money easily – extorting money is the ultimate goal of criminals. ”
"The key to preventing this type of scam is 'don't rush to transfer money'. Zhong He pointed out to reporters that in this kind of fraud case, criminals often urge family members to transfer money quickly, and what the family members have to do at this time is to calm down, think about whether there is any suspicion, and get in touch with the local police in time.
In addition, Officer Xie also told the reporter that even if he was deceived, it was not impossible to recover the property loss, and he described this kind of fraud as a "race against time", and the sooner the victim identified the scam, the higher the possibility of recovering the money. "We have a saying of 'golden 30 minutes' in anti-fraud (work), and generally if you can realize that you have been deceived within 30 minutes (after the transfer), you can immediately report to the police station, and the probability of recovery is relatively high. ”
Producer: Nandu Instant
Co-ordinator: Nandu reporter Xiang Xueni He Jiahui
Written by: Nandu reporter Weng Anqi, Yang Lingyan, Liang Lingfei, Wei Juanming