Scammers force WA students to fake their own kidnapping, demand ransom

Perth’s international students are being targeted by scammers who manipulate them into faking their own kidnappings and demanding ransom from their parents, police are warning.

Four students aged between 18 and 22 have fallen victim to the new virtual scam in Western Australia and have paid criminals up to $215,000 since August, police said.

Scammers tell their victims they are linked to a crime and use information about them, gathered from social media, to fake documents.

The students are threatened with extradition or prosecution if they do not pay a fee.

Scammers will then advise them to set up a fake kidnapping and send photos to their parents overseas to extort the money needed.

Police said the parents of a 17-year-old boy studying at a university in Perth received a WeChat message from their son containing recordings and images of him with his wrists and ankles bound by rope in March.

”The messages also demanded $215,000 AUD be transferred to a Chinese bank account pending further threats to the safety of their son,” police said.

A family friend in Perth was contacted by his panicked parents and alerted police.

Officers later found the student at a hotel. He admitted the kidnapping was fake and claimed he was forced to do so as part of a virtual kidnapping scam.

Detective Superintendent Peter Foley said victims of the crime were left suffering serious financial and psychological effects.

“The vulnerable victims of crime are young international students who have likely left their families for the first time and are alone in a foreign country,” he said.

“The scammers prey on their vulnerabilities and exploit the distance between the victim and their families.

“It is practically impossible for the families to confirm that the victim is actually safe and well and that no charges have been laid against them by foreign authorities.”

Foley said victims were shamed into silence and he fears there were more victims out there. 

“We encourage all victims to come forward. You are not to blame and there is help at hand,” he said. 

Police urge students to immediately call authorities if they receive a call from someone threatening arrest and deportation.