Chinese exchange student Kai Zhuang, who had been missing, was discovered alive in the desert of Utah, USA. The 17-year-old was found shortly after his disappearance, and local police in Riverdale are referring to this as a case of “cybering”. This new trend involves scammers extorting money from families by convincing them that their relative has been kidnapped.
Zhuang had ceased contact with his family on December 28, concluding the conversation with his parents with a photograph that implied his possible abduction. In order to learn about their son’s whereabouts, Zhuang’s parents had to pay the attackers around $80,000. However, it is important to note that Zhuang was not physically abducted. He voluntarily complied with the attackers’ demands by retiring from his residence and spending time away from his home. Due to the threats he received and the large sum of money involved, the police categorize the case as a “cyber interpretation”.
Prior to this incident, US law enforcement agencies had reported similar cases. Some scammers have utilized artificial intelligence to simulate the voice or visual appearance of the victim with the aim of manipulating the emotions of their loved ones and extracting more money from them.
Statistics from law enforcement indicate that Americans lost approximately $8.8 billion to fraud in 2022, with $2.6 billion steming from fraudulent activities involving fake identities.
The Riverdale police is advising the public to immediately contact authorities if they believe they are being monitored or threatened, and under no circumstances should they comply with the demands of the attackers.