What Is ‘Cyber Kidnapping?’ Police Say Exchange Student Was Victim Before Being Found in Utah Mountains

A 17-year-old Chinese exchange student and his family were alleged victims of an elaborate extortion scheme known as "cyber kidnapping"

Authorities in Riverdale, Utah, located a missing 17-year-old Chinese exchange student "very cold and scared" in the mountains three days after he vanished from his host parents' home. The investigation into his disappearance uncovered that he was an alleged victim of "cyber kidnapping" for nearly a month.

Kai Zhuang was reported missing on Dec. 28 after his parents in China received a ransom note and disturbing photo of their son, who appeared to be held captive, the Riverdale Police Department announced in a press release. During the investigation, authorities learned that he was seen by officers before his disappearance on Dec. 20 with camping gear in Provo, Utah, and was returned to his host family. The police department says that Zhuang was under the control of cyber kidnappers at this time, but he did not tell police or his host parents. Because of this information, authorities began searching for the missing student in the mountains and were concerned for his safety due to the cold temperatures.

On Dec. 31, he was located in a tent with "no heat source," a blanket, sleeping bag, limited food and water and "several phones that were presumed to be used to carry out the cyber kidnapping," authorities announced.

Related: Missing Foreign Exchange Student Found ‘Very Cold and Scared’ in Utah Mountains After Suspected 'Cyber Kidnapping'

Authorities learned that his parents in China were also victims of the alleged elaborate extortion scheme, and they sent around $80,000 U.S. dollars to bank accounts in China after receiving threats from the alleged kidnappers about their son's safety. Authorities said the photo the parents received appeared to show their son "being held captive."

Through the investigation, authorities also learned about a disturbing criminal trend called "cyber kidnapping" — and that cyber kidnappers have recently been targeting Chinese foreign exchange students.

What is "Cyber Kidnapping?"

According to the Riverdale Police Department, cyber kidnappings typically include threatening the victim and their family, demanding ransoms and forcing victims to isolate and take photos of themselves while the kidnappers monitor the victim on FaceTime or Skype. The kidnappers keep the victim under their control by threatening the victim's family if they don't follow instructions.

Cyber kidnappers also extort the victim's family "by using fear tactics, photos and voice recordings of the victim leading the family to believe the kidnappers are with the victim causing them harm," the release adds.

According to the FBI, a similar extortion scheme is called "Virtual Kidnapping," which originated in Mexican prisons. The incarcerated scammer would call numbers in affluent areas and make the victim believe their loved one is on the phone and is in imminent danger.

"The scammers attempt to keep victims on the phone so they can’t verify their loved ones’ whereabouts or contact law enforcement," according to the FBI. The scammers then demand a wire ransom payment to ensure the safety of the alleged victim. These cases are extremely difficult to investigate since the calls typically come from outside of the country, the FBI states.

How to Stay Safe

According to the National Institutes of Health, if you receive an alarming call about your loved one, there are steps you should take before panicking, including requesting to speak to the victim directly, attempting to contact the victim on a separate phone or device and contacting your local police department as soon as possible.

Indicators of an extortion scheme include a call from an outside area code, the caller attempting to keep you on the phone and ransom money only being accepted through wire transfers.

“I want foreign exchange students to know they can trust police to protect them and to work with police to ensure their safety as well as their family’s safety abroad,” Riverdale Police Chief Casey Warren said in the release.

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