A Chinese exchange student was camping outside in freezing cold temperatures while his parents believed he had been kidnapped. But he wasn’t estranged from his parents or trying to be rebellious.
He was following the orders of alleged scammers who he says told him that if he didn’t follow their instructions, his parents would be in danger. Meanwhile, the same alleged scammers contacted the student’s parents and reportedly demanded a hefty ransom.
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Both the teenager and his parents had been contacted by the alleged scammers.
Kai Zhuang, 17, was living in Utah with a host family as a part of his exchange program. In the middle of his stay, both Zhuang and his parents say they were contacted by cyber-scammers. While they had more elaborate instructions for Zhuang, their request to his parents was less complicated. They demanded $80,000, according to Business Insider.
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Zhuang was ordered to isolate and take pictures of himself.
Authorities say Zhuang and his parents are the victims of a “cyberkidnapping,” where perpetrators convince families to pay a ransom for a kidnapping that never happened. These scammers often target Chinese exchange students who they contact via FaceTime or Skype. The scammers order the students to isolate themselves and send photos that make them look as if they’re being held captive.
The scammers issued continuous threats to Zhuang's parents.
"The cyberkidnappers continue to extort the family by using fear, tactics, photos, and voice recordings of the victim, leading the family to believe the kidnappers are with the victim causing them harm," Riverdale police said.
Zhuang was told to camp by himself, away from his host family. He tried to follow the instructions for the first time on December 20. But police found him carrying camping equipment that day. They returned him to his host family.
At the time, detectives did not realize he was under duress. Zhuang left his host family again shortly after. That same day, his parents contacted his school saying they had received a ransom note. With “continuous threats” they had already paid $80,000 to bank accounts in China.
Zhuang's host family didn't realize he'd been missing.
When police visited Zhuang’s host family, they hadn’t realized he was missing that day. Authorities launched a search for the teen, using helicopters and drones. They used his phone and bank records to track him. Detectives hiking up a mountainside near Brigham City found Zhuang "alive but very cold and scared" in a tent in the woods.
"The victim had no heat source inside the tent," the Riverdale police statement said. "Only a heat blanket, a sleeping bag, limited food and water, and several phones that were presumed to be used to carry out the cyberkidnapping."
Authorities are still investigating.
After they found Zhuang, he asked for only two things: to speak to his parents and to eat a warm cheeseburger. Authorities fulfilled both requests as they transported Zhuang to the Riverdale Police Department. There was no evidence that Zhuang had been forcibly taken from his home. He was cleared of any serious medical problems. Riverdale police are working with the FBI and the Chinese embassy to investigate Zhuang’s case.
