Female student 'kidnapped online' and threatened to be taken to Cambodia for ransom
The Cyber Security and High-Tech Crime Prevention Department of Da Nang Police (abbreviated as the Cyber Security Department) confirmed that it had just rescued a female student who had been “kidnapped online” by a scammer demanding a ransom of 400 million VND.
It is known that at 5:30 p.m. on August 15, the Da Nang Police Security Department received a request for assistance in verifying information that TN (born in 2006, a first-year female student at a university, currently residing in Ngu Hanh Son Ward, Da Nang City) was kidnapped. The subject contacted the victim's family and demanded a ransom of 400 million VND. Otherwise, he would take TN to Cambodia. "Don't think that reporting to the police won't make your child suffer. I've already told you, I have terminal AIDS..." - the subject continued to threaten.
Immediately after receiving the information, the Cyber Security Department immediately mobilized forces to verify more information, and determined that this was a case of "online kidnapping". Based on the verified information, the unit arranged 20 officers and soldiers, divided into 4 working groups, to focus on searching for the victim. At about 9:10 p.m. the same day, the police discovered TN at a motel in Ngu Hanh Son ward, chatting on video with the scammer...
According to TN, she had previously received messages to get to know her, entice her with suggestions such as “granting scholarships”, manipulating her psychologically and stealing her sensitive personal information. After that, the subject threatened and forced the victim to cut off contact with her family, asking her to go to a secret place to hide. Fearing that the subject would post sensitive information on social networks, on August 15, TN rented a room at a house on My Da Dong 12 Street, Ngu Hanh Son Ward and stayed there alone as requested by the scammer.
The subject used tricks to gain access to TN's Zalo account and used this account to contact TN's relatives, saying that he was kidnapping the female student. During TN's stay at the motel, the subject always made video calls to the victim to control her and prevent others from contacting her.
Previously, on August 14, the Criminal Police Department of Da Nang Police also successfully rescued an 18-year-old female student who was "kidnapped online" when she was lured and tricked to a motel in Hoa Xuan ward, Da Nang city.
In this case, the scammer called and said that the female student was being investigated by the police for her involvement in a large drug trafficking and money laundering ring. At the scammer’s request, the female student went to a motel to stay and called her family to ask for money to prove her innocence and avoid being arrested. Then, a person claiming to be a police officer called and asked the family to transfer 500 million VND to the scammer in order to release her.
After the incident, the family went to Hoa Cuong Ward Police and the Criminal Police Department of Da Nang City Police to report and were informed by officers and soldiers who instructed the family to coordinate with the police to quickly investigate, search for and rescue the victim.
Through this incident, the Police Department recommends that people, especially students, raise their vigilance, grasp the behavior and tricks of criminals to avoid similar situations.
