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Chinese students in Australia targeted in virtual kidnapping scam | |
(about 1 hour later) | |
Chinese students in Sydney are being targeted in a kidnapping scam forcing them to pay massive ransoms to fraudsters, Australian police say. | |
In many cases, blackmailed students were forced to stage their own kidnapping and send video proof to relatives in China to obtain funds. | |
Eight "virtual kidnappings" have been reported this year, including one where a A$2m (£1.1m;$1.43m) ransom was paid. | |
Victims had believed they or their loved ones were in danger, police said. | |
New South Wales (NSW) Police said the scheme had "really increased in frequency throughout 2020" and was operating on an "industrial scale". | |
They have urged students to immediately report any threatening calls they receive. | |
How does the scam work? | How does the scam work? |
Authorities said the "call centre-type" scam was being operated offshore, which made it difficult to track. | |
It typically involves a fraudster pretending to be from the Chinese embassy or another authority, ringing victims and informing them that they have been implicated in a crime in China or are facing some other threat. | |
The scammers, who usually speak Mandarin, then demand the student pay ongoing fees in order to avoid arrest or deportation. | The scammers, who usually speak Mandarin, then demand the student pay ongoing fees in order to avoid arrest or deportation. |
In some cases, the students are also convinced to cease contact with their family and friends, rent a hotel room and fake a hostage situation to obtain funds from their relatives overseas. | |
In one case, a father had already paid more than A$2m (£1.1m; $1.43m) in ransom payments, before receiving a video of his daughter gagged and bound in an unknown location. | In one case, a father had already paid more than A$2m (£1.1m; $1.43m) in ransom payments, before receiving a video of his daughter gagged and bound in an unknown location. |
He then contacted police in Sydney who, after an hour's search, found the woman safe and well at a hotel room in the city. | |
In other cases reported to police this year, payments ranged from A$20,000 to A$300,000. | |
"On some occasions, [families] have basically paid every cent they've got," said Detective Chief Superintendent Darren Bennett. | |
In many of the cases, when police were contacted they typically found the victim safe the next day. Often the victims felt too embarrassed or ashamed to report the crime. | |
"The victims of virtual kidnappings we have engaged are traumatised by what has occurred, believing they have placed themselves, and their loved ones, in real danger," said NSW Police. | "The victims of virtual kidnappings we have engaged are traumatised by what has occurred, believing they have placed themselves, and their loved ones, in real danger," said NSW Police. |
Why are people falling for it? | |
Police said the scam was operating on a mass scale, and appeared to involve a blitz of automated phone calls sent to anyone with a Chinese surname in the phone book. | |
"They cast their net very widely and they're getting a few people who fall for it, which is very lucrative for them," said Mr Bennett. | |
He noted that there had been a sharp increase in the past few months, where "pretty much every weekend we've had a victim fall for one of these scams." | |
Advocates for international students in Australia say they have been more vulnerable amid the pandemic due to their reliance on casual work, and their exclusion from government welfare. | |
Police said "cultural factors", as well as the isolation of some international students, made them a vulnerable target. | |
Victims could then be manipulated into extremes such as faking a kidnap because they had fallen under the scammer's "psychological control", Mr Bennett said. | |
"Students can do two important things to protect themselves against these types of crimes - firstly, be aware they exist and secondly, ask for help early if they think it might be happening to them or someone they know," said NSW Police. | "Students can do two important things to protect themselves against these types of crimes - firstly, be aware they exist and secondly, ask for help early if they think it might be happening to them or someone they know," said NSW Police. |
There have also been reports of such frauds occurring in New Zealand and the United States. |
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