BBC News Top Stories-World Kai Zhuang Chinese teen found alive in US after cyber kidnapping
January 2, 2024 2 min 402 words
这起"网络绑架"案件引发了对留学生安全的关切。报道揭示了网络绑匪如何利用威胁和欺骗手段，迫使学生孤立并向家长勒索巨额赎金。这不仅是对个体的身体安全构成威胁，更对整个留学生群体的心理健康和安全产生深远影响。值得警惕的是，这并非孤例，报道中提到了最近在美国遭遇类似事件的其他留学生。该案提醒我们要警惕网络犯罪，并强调了加强安全教育和合作的紧迫性，以保障留学生的权益和安全。
A Chinese foreign exchange student has been found freezing but alive in the US after his parents were extorted out of tens of thousands of dollars in a "cyber kidnapping" scam.
Kai Zhuang was discovered "very cold and scared" in a tent in rural Utah, Riverdale Police said in a statement.
The 17-year-old is believed to have isolated himself after being manipulated by the kidnappers.
His parents were then tricked into paying around $80,000 (£62,600).
Zhuang is one of a number of foreign students targeted by so-called cyber kidnappers in the US recently, Riverdale Police added in their statement.
Police believe Kai was being controlled by the kidnappers as early as 20 December, when he was seen by officers in Provo, Utah, carrying camping equipment.
Those officers arranged for him to be returned to Riverdale - where he lived with a host family - out of concerns for his safety. He did not mention any threats at the time, however.
Police were then contacted on 28 December by the school he was attending, which had been contacted by his parents in China.
Kai's parents had told school officials they had been sent a ransom demand and a picture of their son indicating he was abducted.
According to police, victims of cyber kidnapping are convinced to isolate themselves, and even take pictures to make it appear they are being held captive - despite the kidnappers not being present. Instead, the victim is monitored through Facetime or Skype.
Both the victim and their families are then convinced the other will be harmed if they do not comply.
But despite the kidnappers not being with Kai, police in Utah still feared for his safety, explaining the state's December temperatures meant there was a risk he could "freeze to death overnight".
Kai was eventually found around 25 miles (40km) north of Riverdale, near Brigham City, in a tent with "no heat source" on Sunday.
He had limited food and water, a heat blanket and a sleeping bag - as well as several phones which police suspect were used to carry out the kidnapping.
Following his rescue, Kai - who was checked for hypothermia - requested a "warm cheeseburger" and to speak with his family.