What is known

17-year-old Chinese exchange student Kai Zhuang became the victim of a criminal conspiracy. Unidentified people persuaded him to voluntarily go to the mountains and stay there, while demanding tens of thousands of dollars from his family, claiming that they were holding the child hostage.

Riverdale police first received a report of Zhuang missing on Dec. 28. The victim’s birth family in China received a photograph of the child stating that he had been “kidnapped” and immediately contacted the school; The school had already called the police and the host family. The latter knew nothing about the disappearance and reported that he was at home the night before.

Unfortunately, Zhuang’s relatives managed to give the criminals more than $80,000.

After working with the FBI and Chinese authorities, local police searched the victim’s phone and financial records and discovered that he had recently visited a local canyon. Later, the teams started a search and rescue operation in the region and found the child in a tent in the mountains. He was described as “freezing and scared”, with no source of warmth other than a blanket and “limited food and water supply”. He also had several phones that police believe were used to communicate with “cyber thieves.”

A press release from Riverdale Police provides more details about this strange epidemic of “cyber kidnapping” in which criminals use Internet manipulation to isolate victims and then convince their families that the abduction is real. Police said they received information from the FBI about a “disturbing crime trend” that told them similar incidents were occurring in the United States.

Scammers target students studying abroad, especially Chinese exchange students. The kidnappers threaten them and their families and demand ransom. They order the victims to isolate themselves and monitor them via Facetime and/or Skype calls. Cyber ​​kidnappers force the victim to take a photo of themselves and send the photo to their parents to make it look like they are being held captive. Victims accept this agreement out of fear that their families will be harmed if they do not comply.

According to the source, the entire crime plot is based on the victim’s belief that the “kidnappers” pose a real threat. However, in reality this is not the case.