Virtual kidnaps rake in $3m

EIGHT international Chinese students living in Sydney have been victims of a “virtual’’ kidnap scheme that has netted crime syndicates more than $3m in ransom this year.

NSW police are now working with the Chinese government to warn the community of the scam the crime gangs are carrying out, as well as trying to catch the perpetrators.

Known as ‘‘virtual kidnapping’’, the sophisticated extortion scheme involves young victims being convinced to fake their own abductions and then demand ransom from relatives for their “safe release”.

“These criminals are getting data which allows them to make hundreds if not thousands of calls to prospective victims,’’ said Detective Superintendent Grant Taylor, head of the NSW Robbery and Serious Crime Squad.

“It almost exclusively involves someone speaking in Mandarin claiming to be a representative of a Chinese authority (who) convinces them they have been implicated in a crime in China and they must make payments to avoid being deported, their visa cancelled or other threats arrest,’’ he said.

“The motive is to instil fear in the victim that they face the prospect of having to return home and abandon their education. Part of the scam is to convince the victim to fake their disappearance … after sending a message they have been kidnapped.

“This often escalates of possible into the target being talked into taking pictures of themselves tied up, blindfolded or a voice recording of them screaming for help to be sent to parents.’’

The operation is conducted over the phone and the victim is never in any physical danger.

They use technology to hide their physical locations and the criminals encourage victims to continue communications through encrypted applications such as Wechat and Whatsapp. The victim is then threatened or coerced into transferring large amounts of money into unknown offshore bank accounts.

In one case this year, a distraught family transferred $2m in the belief that their daughter had been kidnapped and was in danger.