"Exchange Student Rescued in Utah Amid Rise in Cyber Kidnapping Cases"
A 17-year-old Chinese exchange student, Kai Zhuang, was found in a tent in the Utah wilderness after being the victim of a "cyber kidnapping" scam that led his parents to pay a US$80,000 ransom. He was discovered cold and scared but alive by a sergeant who had been searching the area. The scam involved convincing Kai to isolate himself and send staged photos to his family to simulate a kidnapping. Riverdale police, the FBI, the US embassy in China, and Chinese officials collaborated in the search and rescue operation. Cyber kidnappers have increasingly targeted Chinese foreign exchange students.