A disturbing ‘cyber kidnapping’ scam is targeting Chinese students around the world, forcing them to fake their own abductions for ransom.

In December 2023, 17-year-old Chinese student Kai Zhuang disappeared in the United States. His family received ransom demands and a photo of him in distress. Days later, he was found hiding in Utah’s mountains.

Four months earlier, a 22-year-old female student was reported missing in Australia, with her family receiving photos of her bound and bloodied. She was found unharmed within 24 hours.

101 East investigates how cyber criminals use sophisticated methods to coerce Chinese international students into staging kidnappings.