Saanich police are warning the public, and especially members of the Chinese community, about an elaborate extortion scheme known as virtual kidnapping.
On Wednesday, Vancouver police asked Saanich detectives to assist them in investigating a scam involving a 27-year-old man whose family lives in Saanich.
The victim’s family was contacted by fraudsters who tried to extort money from them, said Saanich police Staff Sgt. Chris Horsley.
“The family, believing their loved one was in danger, contacted police to report the kidnapping. The decision to quickly contact local police was instrumental in thwarting this fraud attempt,” said Horsley.
Although Vancouver has had a number of similar cases, this is the first one that Horsley is aware of here.
The virtual-kidnapping scheme usually involves people of Chinese descent being contacted by fraudsters. The scammers either threaten them or try to extort money from them. In some cases, the victims are working with the fraudsters, who are posing as Chinese authorities, said Horsley.
The scheme involves two sets of victims. The first victim has been fraudulently convinced that they are working with authorities.
“And, of course, you have the second victim which is the family member being extorted,” said Horsley.
“They’re either being aggressive with the victim and threatening arrest if they don’t pay a certain amount of money, or they are convincing them that they are actually assisting Chinese authorities with an investigation,” he said. “Often, the fraudsters will tell the victim to go into hiding or, similar to a Crime Stoppers re-enactment, get them to make fake videos or photos of themselves in a scenario where they are being held against their will. Then the scammers or fraudsters will send the photos to the victim’s family and they believe their loved one is genuinely in distress, but in fact they’re not.”
In the Saanich case, the 27-year-old man has been a resident of Canada for 20 years. Because of recent discussions about the scam in the Chinese community, his family recognized what was happening right away.
The amount of money the fraudsters were asking for was “extensive,” said Horsley.
Vancouver police are still investigating the case, he said.
“Police from outside Canada will never arrest you in this country, ask for photos or videos of yourself pretending to be a victim of crime,” said Horsley. “Any contact from international authorities should be through your local police.”
If you are contacted by someone claiming to be from the Chinese consulate or Chinese police, call your local detachment. If you feel unsafe or threatened, call 911.
Horsley recommends members of the Chinese community speak with family, students and visitors from mainland China about these extortions, and encourage them to contact police if they feel unsafe or are contacted by people claiming to be Chinese authorities who are asking them to pretend to be the victim of a crime.
