Young international students are being targeted by scammers who prey on their poor understanding of Australian laws.
WA Police said there have been four cases since August last year where those targeted – ranging in age from 18 to 22 – were ordered to pay sums of up to $215,000 or be extradited back to their country of origin for prosecution.
Scammers typically tell the victim they are linked to a crime and use information about the victim, either from social media or other sources, and fake documents to legitimise the scam.
To safeguard themselves against imprisonment, and to fast track the process, they are offered the opportunity to pay a fee.
During the course of negotiations, scammers will advise the victim to set up an extortion attempt targeting their parents.
As it escalates, they are forced to fake their own kidnappings. The pictures are then sent to their families and are used to demand a ransom for their safe release.
The scammers will target international students to the extent they fake their own kidnappings (pictured) to extort money from their families in their home country
Detective Superintendent Peter Foley said the victims suffer serious financial and psychological effects as a result of their ordeal.
‘The vulnerable victims of crime are young international students who have likely left their families for the first time and are alone in a foreign country,’ Detective Superintendent Foley said.
‘The scammers prey on their vulnerabilities and exploit the distance between the victim and their families.
‘It is practically impossible for the families to confirm that the victim is actually safe and well, and that no charges have been laid against them by foreign authorities.’
The scammers take advantage of peoples trust in authority and their fear of getting into trouble.
‘Feelings of helplessness and shame discourage victims from contacting police after they have been scammed,’ Detective Superintendent Foley said.
