2-1-2024 (LOS ANGELES) A Chinese exchange student who became a victim of a “cyber kidnapping” scam has been found alive but in a state of distress in a tent in the Utah wilderness, as confirmed by the police.
The student, Kai Zhuang, 17, was reported missing on Thursday (Dec 28) after his parents in China informed officials at his host high school in Riverdale, Utah that he had seemingly been kidnapped and a ransom demand had been made.
This incident followed the typical modus operandi of cyber kidnappings, where the perpetrators instruct the victim to isolate themselves and provide photographs that give the impression of being held captive. These images are then sent to the victim’s family to extort money from them.
In fear for their family’s safety, the victims comply with the demands.
After meticulously analyzing bank transactions, purchases, and phone records in an extensive search spanning several days, the police became convinced that Kai Zhuang was secluded in a tent located approximately 40km north, within a vast area near Brigham City.
Concern for the victim’s safety grew due to the cold weather prevalent in Utah during this time of year, with the Riverdale Police Department stating in a press release after his discovery on Sunday, “Due to the cold weather in Utah this time of year, we became additionally concerned for the victim’s safety in that he may freeze to death overnight.”
A sergeant hiking up a mountainside on foot stumbled upon Kai’s tent, which lacked a heating source but contained “a heat blanket, a sleeping bag, limited food and water, and several phones that were presumed to be used to carry out the cyber kidnapping,” according to the department.
The detective who made contact with the victim inside the tent described him as “alive but very cold and scared.”
Upon being rescued, Kai expressed a desire for a warm cheeseburger and to speak with his family, who had paid a sum of US$80,000 to bank accounts in China as part of the scam, as revealed by the Riverdale police.
Initially, Kai’s host family in Riverdale was unaware of his disappearance, having heard him in the kitchen early on the morning of the day he went missing.
The Riverdale police collaborated with the FBI, the US embassy in China, and Chinese officials in their efforts to locate the missing teenager, as stated in the press release.
In response to the incident, the Chinese embassy in Washington issued a warning to its citizens residing in the United States, urging them to “enhance safety awareness, take necessary precautions, and remain vigilant against ‘virtual kidnapping’ and other forms of telecommunications and online fraud,” declared a spokesperson.
Riverdale police highlighted that cyber kidnappers have recently been targeting foreign exchange students, particularly those from China.
