"Virtual kidnapping" fraud is a new type of telecommunications network fraud that specifically targets overseas students. On January 2 this year, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in the United States also said in response to a reporter's question that a Chinese student suspected of being kidnapped had been found safely because of a "virtual kidnapping" telecommunications network fraud.
Scammers
Scams are specifically targeted at international students
Hu Zhiwei, Deputy Director of the Guidance Division for Combating New Cybercrime of the Criminal Investigation Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security:This kind of fraud is an upgraded version of the traditional impersonation of "public security" fraud, which is a method of taking advantage of the reality of poor communication between overseas students and their parents to carry out two-way fraud for students and parents, which not only defrauds them of huge amounts of property, but also causes powerful mental damage.
In the "virtual kidnapping" scam, the fraudsters will first pretend to be the staff of the public security organs, embassies, customs and other departments to contact the students, and investigate them on suspicion of money laundering, smuggling, smuggling and other crimes, and present a fake wanted warrant and arrest warrant, claiming that if they do not cooperate, they will be arrested, deported, and sentenced to a heavy sentence, so as to intimidate the victim.
Hu Zhiwei, Deputy Director of the Guidance Division for Combating New Cybercrime of the Criminal Investigation Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security:They may use some *** to mark the ** displayed on your call as some ** of the embassy or consulate, or some other**, in order to confuse the victim and deceive the victim's trust.
After gaining the victim's trust, the fraudster will emphasize that the case involves secrets and must not tell anyone else, and ask to cut off all contact with the outside world such as mobile phones and WeChat. Let the victim** designate software to cooperate with the case, report personal information and whereabouts, and keep him in a state of mental pressure.
The fraudsters then order the victim to go to a hotel, or even a third-party country, to film themselves in a hotel or a hidden place.
Scammers
Two-way fraud to international students and their parents
"Virtual kidnapping" is a two-way scheme. After the fraudsters succeed in dealing with overseas students, the next step will be to set the trap on the parents of international students who are far away from home.
Hu Zhiwei, Deputy Director of the Guidance Division for Combating New Cybercrime of the Criminal Investigation Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security:Then the fraudster will contact his parents as a kidnapper, and use the victim to shoot the kidnapped **and** to blackmail the parents to pay a huge ransom, because at this time the student is in a state of disconnection under the coercion and lure of **, the parents cannot be contacted for a while, and they cannot confirm the true state of the child, so that they believe that this is a real kidnapping, to pay a huge ransom.
In addition to causing economic losses and mental harm to the victims, some may even change to real kidnapping.
Hu Zhiwei, Deputy Director of the Guidance Division for Combating New Cybercrime of the Criminal Investigation Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security:He (fraudsters) will let you (international students) go to a third party or a third country, the environment is not familiar, and the people are not familiar with it, so it is very likely that you will go to the den of criminals, and you may lose your personal freedom.
**Reminder
Don't trust suspicious** or transfer money
Since 2023, "virtual kidnapping" scams have occurred in many places, and the incidence rate is on the rise.
**ReminderOverseas students and domestic parents, do not be gullible**, do not easily transfer money. If you receive a suspicious claim that you are "suspected of committing a crime" or a request for "assistance in the investigation", do not believe it easily.
Hu Zhiwei, Deputy Director of the Guidance Division for Combating New Cybercrime of the Criminal Investigation Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security:If you receive a claim like "you are suspected of fraud", you will hang up, and contact the school or classmates in time, or even** to ask for help, and at the same time contact your family in time, and inform your family of these situations, don't believe their alarmist words.
If parents of international students receive suspicious** claims that their children have been kidnapped, they should report to the police immediately and do not transfer money easily.
Hu Zhiwei, Deputy Director of the Guidance Division for Combating New Cybercrime of the Criminal Investigation Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security:International students and parents must learn more about laws and regulations, including some knowledge of anti-fraud, and understand some common sense of domestic public security and law enforcement agencies.
*: Henan Provincial Anti-Fraud Center.