A virtual kidnapping scam targeting Chinese international students has claimed its latest victim, but warnings by School District 43 authorities and the younger age of foreign students make it unlikely students attending public school here will be targeted.
SD43 spokesman Peter Chevrier said the scammers are mostly targeting international students attending post-secondary institutions. Nevertheless, the district has been proactive in letting the public know about the scam since it started circulating last year.
“We have liaised with the RCMP, posted notices on both our SD43 and International Education websites, and communicated with our international students, parents, homestays, school administrators and DLT (District Leadership Team) to help people understand the scam and avoid falling victim to it if they encounter it at the K-12 level,” Chevrier stated in an email.
In the latest version of the scam, a New Westminster student attending Douglas College was contacted via WeChat, the popular Chinese social media platform, and told her parents would be harmed if she didn’t comply with their demands.
The victim was told not to use her cellphone, contact her family, use any form of social media and to comply with their every demand. At the same time the student’s family was also contacted through WeChat and told their daughter was being kidnapped and the scammers demanded money in return for her safety.
The scammers managed to convince the student to flee Canada where she was later located safely in another country.
The New Westminster Police Department Major Crime Unit continues to investigate.
“When incidents like this occur, students are threatened, defrauded of money, and coerced to go into hiding,” stated Sergeant Jeff Scott. “Once the online scammers have intimidated the student into hiding, they contact the parents and defraud them out of money.”
B.C. police officials have been aware of the scam since last July and are working with the Chinese consulate to warn the Chinese community.
In other versions of the virtual kidnapping scam, people are contacted by cell phone.
Investigators believe that the calls are randomly disseminated until they reach a Chinese-speaking victim. Once a connection is made, the scammers shape the scheme to suit the victim’s personal details through a series of questions posed to the victim.
If you receive a message or call you suspect to be a scam, never reveal any personal information and ignore the threats.
Anyone who believes they are a victim of a fraud or scam is asked to call the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501.
