HALIFAX—Halifax Regional Police say a Chinese international student was targeted in a “virtual kidnapping” scam, the first of its kind in Halifax. According to a release, police received a report around 4:30 a.m. on Wednesday that the family of a 22-year-old female student studying in Halifax had been contacted to pay a ransom for her kidnapping. The family of a 22-year-old female student studying in Halifax was contacted to pay a ransom for her kidnapping, in a scam referred to as ‘virtual kidnapping.’ This is the first time such a scam has been reported in Halifax. The incident has been deemed an elaborate “virtual kidnapping” scam, where members of international students’ families are extorted for ransom money with reports of fake kidnappings. “Police want to remind all international students studying in Halifax that police officers from another country will not arrest you in Canada,” reads the release.

Source: thestar May 19, 2018 16:18 UTC