A Chinese student whose parents were the victim of a “cyber kidnapping” scam in which they extorted $80,000 was found alive and “cold and scared” in a tent in the Utah wilderness. , the police announced.
Kai Zhuang, 17, was reported missing Thursday after her parents in China told officials at her host high school in Riverdale, Utah, that she appeared to have been kidnapped and was being held for ransom. Ta.
The incident follows a typical pattern of cyber kidnapping, in which the “kidnapper” isolates the victim and instructs them to provide a photo of themselves as if in captivity, which is then shared with the victim’s family. They are sent to Japan and the money is extorted.
Victims comply believing that if they do not, their families will be harmed.
After analyzing bank records, shopping and phone ping records during a multi-day search, police believed he was isolated in a tent in a vast area near Brigham City, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) north.
“Due to the cold weather in Utah at this time of year, we have become even more concerned for the safety of the victim in that she could freeze to death overnight,” Riverdale Police said Sunday. said in a press release after it was discovered.
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A police sergeant was hiking up the mountainside when he discovered Kai’s tent. There was no heat source in the tent, only “heating blankets, sleeping bags, limited food and water, and several phones believed to have been used in the cyber-kidnapping.” said the ministry.
“When we contacted the victim inside the tent, we found him alive, but very cold and scared,” the detective said.
After being rescued, Kai “requested a hot cheeseburger” and asked to speak to a family member who had paid $80,000 into a Chinese bank account during the scam, Riverdale police said.
Kai’s host family in Riverdale did not initially realize he was missing because they had heard his voice in the kitchen in the early morning hours of the day he disappeared.
Riverdale police worked with the FBI, the U.S. Embassy in China, and Chinese authorities to search for the missing teen, according to a press release.
Riverdale police say cyber kidnappers have recently been targeting foreign students, especially Chinese students.
Additional reporting by Associated Press