Warning over concerning new scam

International students studying in Australia have been targeted in a virtual kidnapping scam which has seen families lose hundreds of thousands of dollars to scammers.

Since August last year, four cases of virtual kidnapping have been reported in Perth with police saying the scam is on the rise.

Those targeted ranged in age from 18 to 22 years old and were ordered to pay sums of money up to $215,000 or face being extradited back to their country of origin to face prosecution.

Victims were offered an opportunity to pay the scammers a fee to protect themselves against possible imprisonment, and to fast track the process.

During the negotiations, the scammers advised the victim to set up an extortion attempt targeting their parents.

As the situation escalated, the students were forced to fake their own kidnappings. The pictures were then sent to their families and were used to demand a ransom for their safe release.

Detective Superintendent Peter Foley said the victims suffered serious financial and psychological effects as a result of their ordeal.

“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.”

The scammers typically told the victim they were linked to a crime and used information about the victim, either from social media or other sources, and faked documents to legitimise the scam.

The scammers took advantage of peoples trust in authority and their fear of getting into trouble.

“Feelings of helplessness and shame discourage victims from contacting police after they have been scammed,” Detective Superintendent Foley said.

“It’s likely our statistics do not paint the full picture and there may be more victims out there.

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