Chinese students in Australia have been coerced by phone scammers into staging their own kidnappings in order to extort millions from their families back home, Australian authorities said Monday. The New South Wales Police Force, “together with Chinese authorities and universities,” warned members of the community about an elaborate phone scam targeting Chinese students, known globally as a “virtual kidnapping.” In 2020 alone, the agency identified eight incidents where scammers targeting Chinese international students successfully obtained a total of $3.2 million in ransom payments. IRELAND EYED AS POTENTIAL 'CHARTER CITY' FOR MILLIONS FLEEING HONG KONG: REPORTPhone scammers – who usually speak Mandarin – have called Chinese students in Australia, posing as officials from the Chinese Embassy, Consulate or police, according to investigators. Using technology to mask their physical locations, scammers then encourage students to continue communications through various encrypted applications such as WeChat and WhatsApp. Scammers instruct Chinese students to cease contact with their family and friends, rent a hotel room, and take photographs or video recordings that depict them bound and blindfolded.

Source: Fox News July 27, 2020 18:56 UTC