Disturbing Aussie crime rocks China

Young Chinese students are being told by scammers they need to pay huge sums of money to avoid being deported or being arrested. And if they can’t pay up, they are then forced into faking their own kidnapping.

It’s being called “virtual kidnapping”, a scam that targets international Chinese students in Sydney and police say it is on the rise.

According to NSW Police in the past month alone, four known incidents of virtual kidnapping were reported.

Police released some of the disturbing images that are being sent to family members in China and used to demand ransom for safe release.

The ordeal can last a number of days.

The scammers have requested more than $750,000 in total, with victims receiving threats unless they pay between $175,000 and $250,000.

Robbery and Serious Crime Squad Commander, Detective Superintendent Joe Doueihi, said detectives were working closely with universities and the Chinese Embassy and Chinese Consulate in Sydney and Canberra to warn the community of such scams.

“The community should note that anyone calling them on their mobile and claiming to be from a Chinese authority, such as police, prosecutor, or the courts, and then demanding money be transferred is a scammer,” Supt Doueihi said.

“It is disgraceful there are scammers out there are preying on international students who have come to Australia to study; most of whom are living in a new country and far away from loved ones for the first time in their lives.

“We understand that victims of virtual kidnappings may be traumatised or embarrassed following the incident – we want them to know there is no shame in coming forward to NSW Police for assistance.

“We have bilingual officers available who can help those who speak English as a second language and our detectives will continue to pursue these criminals through all the investigative resources at our disposal.”

Supt Doueihi advised anyone who receives a call involving demands for money under the threat of violence to hang up and report the scam to authorities.

What is ‘virtual kidnapping’

Virtual kidnapping is an extortion scam that involves young people being told they have been implicated in a crime and need to pay money to avoid deportation or being placed under arrest.

Investigators have been told that initial contact is made through a phone call from someone usually speaking in Mandarin and claiming to be a representative from a Chinese authority, such as the Chinese Embassy, Consulate or police.

Using technology to mask their physical locations, scammers encourage victims to continue communications through various encrypted applications such as WeChat and WhatsApp.

The victim is then threatened or coerced into transferring large amounts of money into unknown offshore bank accounts.

As the scam escalates, the victims are coerced into faking their own kidnappings before the scammers sends these images to their family and demands ransom payments for their safe release.

Xiaoteng Li, vice-consul for the Chinese Consulate, told the ABC that the victims were suffering huge financial losses and psychological stress.

Victims have reportedly been hospitalised because of the trauma they suffered from the extortion.

The number of Chinese students in Australia has sharply rebounded as borders reopened following the Covid-19 pandemic.

About 40,000 Chinese students are expected to arrive in Australia this year, boosted by a ban by Beijing on online study at foreign universities.