Italian
Una studentessa di 18 anni scompare per otto giorni.
Alla sua famiglia viene imposto di non chiamare la polizia e di pagare centinaia di migliaia di dollari per la sua liberazione.
Solo per scoprire che si trattava di una truffa.
Il sovrintendente capo della polizia del New South Wales, il detective Darren Bennett, ha rivelato che la studentessa delle superiori ha registrato dei video, implorando i suoi genitori di pagare il riscatto all’indirizzo di Chatswood di uno studente di legge di 22 anni.
Anch'egli è vittima della truffa.
"He was contacted by people pretending to be the Chinese police or the Chinese authorities and was told on behalf of the Chinese police he needed to meet with this girl and take her to his home address and keep her there was she was a protected witness for the Chinese police."
La coppia si era conosciuta nei pressi del Sydney Fish Market il 7 settembre e si era recata nell'appartamento del 22enne.
Gli amici della donna avevano denunciato la sua scomparsa nelle prime ore dell'8 settembre.
Per tutta la settimana successiva, lo studente di legge ha continuato a frequentare l'università e quando era fuori di casa la donna ha spedito video alla sua famiglia.
Dopo che i suoi genitori hanno pagato il riscatto, la donna ha lasciato la proprietà il 15 settembre.
I detective l'hanno rintracciata a Pyrmont.
Bennett ha dichiarato che la situazione è "incredibile".
Si tratta del nono caso di rapimento virtuale denunciato alla polizia del New South Wales quest'anno.
Le autorità hanno reso noto che i truffatori hanno ottenuto più di tre milioni di dollari.
Delia Rickard, dell'Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, ha dichiarato che le truffe con persone che fingono di essere autorità cinesi sono in crescita.
"If you get one of these contacts understand it is a scam, hang up, don't answer any more calls from that number."
In questi casi, i truffatori convincono le vittime di essere state coinvolte in un crimine in Cina o che la loro identità è stata trafugata e che debbono obbedire o altrimenti rischiano la deportazione.
Vikki Qin, della Sydney University Chinese Student Association, ha dichiarato che i giovani che sono all'estero per la prima volta sono particolarmente vulnerabili.
"There is a culture of I guess shame in Asia, so you wouldn't dare tell your family because you are scared what they will say about it, so these young people try and solve the problem themselves."
La polizia ha organizzato servizi di sostegno in varie lingue per allertare gli studenti di questa truffa.
La Chinese Student Association si è augurata di vedere più diffusione di queste segnalazioni nel popolare servizio social media WeChat.
English
An 18-year-old student missing for eight days.
Her family were told not to call the police and paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for her release.
Only to find out it was a scam.
Detective Chief Superintendent Darren Bennett of New South Wales Police says the high school student recorded videos, pleading with her parents to pay the ransom at a 22-year-old law student's unit in Chatswood.
He too the victim of a scam.
"He was contacted by people pretending to be the Chinese police or the chinese authorities and was told on behalf of the Chinese police he needed to meet with this girl and take her to his home address and keep her there was she was a protected witness for the Chinese police."
The pair met near the Sydney Fish Market on the 7th of September and went back to the 22-year-old's unit.
The woman was reported missing by her friends in the early hours of the 8th of September.
Throughout the next week the male law student continued to attend university and while he was out of the house, the woman sent videos to her family.
Her parents paid the ransom and the woman left the property on the 15th of September.
Detectives then located her in Pyrmont.
Mr Bennett says it is "unbelievable."
This is the ninth virtual kidnapping case reported to New South Wales police this year.
Officials say in total the fraudsters have obtained more than three million dollars.
Delia Rickard from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission says scams in which people pretend to be Chinese authorities are growing.
"If you get one of these contacts understand it is a scam, hang up, don't answer anymore calls from that number."
In these cases, scammers convince victims they have been implicated in a crime in China or their identity has been stolen, and they must comply or risk deportation.
Vikki Qin from the Sydney University Chinese Student Association says young people who are overseas for the first time are especially vulnerable.
"There is a culture of I guess shame in Asia, so you wouldn't dare tell your family because you are scared what they will say about it, so these young people try and solve the problem themselves."
Police have issued support services in various languages to educate students about the scam.
The Chinese Student Association would like to see more dissemination of these warnings via popular social media service WeChat.
Report by Lucy Murray
