<h5>Who was cyber kidnapped?</h5><p>A Chinese student was found alive, although very scared, in a tent in Utah, USA, after falling victim to a cyber-kidnapping scam. His parents, staying in China, were forced to pay $80,000 after falling victim to the scam. The 17-year-old boy is named Kai Zhuang.</p><p>After receiving ransom photos of Zhuang, the boy's parents later notified his school in Riverdale, Utah. They told the school that he appeared to have been kidnapped. The school then called the cops, who helped find him. However, the parents had already sent the money.</p><h5>How was the boy found?</h5><p>The police traced Kai Zhuang’s location by analysing bank records, phone data, etc. They became convinced he was isolating in a tent near Brigham City (a city in Utah). Zhuang’s tent was spotted by a policeman climbing up a mountainside in the area on foot.</p><p>The police also took the help of the FBI, the US embassy in China, and Chinese officials to find the boy.</p><figure class="image"><img src="https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/newsahoot.appspot.com/o/boy-who-was-cyber-kidnapped-found-safe%2FKidnap%202.jpg?alt=media&amp;token=5abd7561-67f5-44f1-86fb-3210a8226423"><figcaption>Kai Zhuang talking with a police officer. Photo by The Guardian.</figcaption></figure><h5>What is cyber kidnapping?</h5><p>Cyber kidnapping is a crime in which the kidnappers force their victims to go into hiding and then contact their near and dear ones for ransom. The victim is also forced to provide images that show as if they are genuinely kidnapped. The kidnappers then send these photos to the victim's family.</p><p>Both parties feel that if they do not follow the kidnappers' demands, their loved ones will be harmed. Also, in such cases, the kidnappers are not physically present. However, they monitor the victim through video calls.</p><p>The FBI says virtual kidnapping is a scam to fool victims into paying money to save their loved ones. Virtual kidnappers use various trickery and threats to force victims into paying money before the truth comes out. In Kai Zhuang’s case, his parents were sent a picture showing that he had been kidnapped to extort money from them.</p><h5>How can one protect themselves from cyber kidnapping?</h5><p>Experts advise everyone to be cautious when receiving calls from unknown numbers, even though scammers might pretend to be calling from a loved one's number.</p><p>Scammers can use a person’s social media information, like location, address, date of birth, etc., to target people. So, one must be careful about what they upload on social media so that not much information about someone is revealed. Experts also advise checking in on their loved ones before making payments and contacting the police.</p><p>Families can also create phrases or code words that scammers are unaware of. They can use this code to figure out whether the person calling is genuinely their loved one or the act of a scammer. These are some methods to prevent cyber kidnapping.</p>

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