New Westminster student targeted through WeChat in virtual kidnapping scam

Less than a month after Vancouver Police issued a warning regarding virtual kidnapping schemes, a student from New Westminster has fallen target to the elaborate scam.

Last week, a local student was contacted by an unknown individual through WeChat, a popular Chinese social media platform.

The scammers threatened the student and claimed that they would harm the student’s parents if she didn’t comply with their demands. She was also told not to use her “cellphone, not to contact families, not to use any form of social media, and to comply with every demand.”

Simultaneously, the student’s family was also contacted through WeChat.

The family was told that their daughter was being held against her will, and money was needed to ensure their daughter’s safe return.

According to New Westminster Police, the scammers managed to convince the student to flee Canada. She was, however, found safely in another country.

Police have not shared further details about how she fled the country, where she fled to, or how long she was missing for.

The NWPD Major Crime Unit is still investigating.

The New Westminister Police are now warning foreign students and their families. If either the parents or the families suspect a scam, never reveal any personal information and ignore the threats.

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