· NextMigrate Team
Fake Police Calls and Virtual Kidnapping Scams Aimed at Students
You would not be reading about fake police calls unless you, or a student you care about, could be the next number they dial. This page is for students and families who want to know the script before it starts.
In these scams, a caller pretends to be police, an embassy, a courier or an immigration officer. They say you are linked to a crime and must pay, keep it secret, or stay on a video call so they can "watch" you. In the worst version, called "virtual kidnapping", the student is told to hide and send photos of themselves tied up, and the family at home is asked for a ransom. No one has really been kidnapped, but the fear and the money lost are real.
Chinese students have been the main target, but the same tricks are used with fake IRCC, Home Office and US immigration calls. In 2020, police in New South Wales said eight students' families had paid a total of A$3.2 million (CNN, 28 July 2020). That is the short answer. Below is the script step by step, documented cases in five countries, and what to do.
Key facts
| Australia, 2025 | 1,294 reports of Chinese authority scams, "a 26.1% increase from 2024", with $12.9 million lost (Study NT, using Scamwatch data, 24 March 2026) |
| Typical loss, Australia | Median loss of $55,000 for Chinese authority scams, according to the ACCC (ABC, 6 June 2026) |
| Australia, 2020 | Eight virtual kidnapping cases; families paid A$3.2 million in total (CNN, 28 July 2020) |
| United States | A 17-year-old exchange student was found in a tent in Utah after his family "had paid $80,000" (Guardian, 2 January 2024) |
| United Kingdom | A student in Northern Ireland lost "£200,000" to men posing as "Beijing Police" (BBC, 3 October 2023) |
How the script works
Police reports and the FBI describe the same steps (FBI IC3, 3 January 2024; Scamwatch):
- The first call. Someone says they are from a courier, a bank or an embassy. They say "a package addressed to you with illegal material such as fake passports or credit cards" was stopped.
- The transfer to "police". The call is passed to a fake police officer in your home country. They show you a fake warrant or ID on a video call and say you are a suspect in a serious crime.
- Secrecy and control. You are told the case is confidential. You must not tell your family, friends or university. You may be told to stay on a video call, such as Microsoft Teams, with the camera on all day (ABC, 6 June 2026).
- The payment. You are told to pay a "bail", "guarantee" or "investigation fee" to clear your name, often your tuition or savings.
- The fake kidnapping. If you have no more money, you may be told to move to a hotel or a remote place, turn off your phone, and take "photos of themselves bound and gagged" (Scamwatch). The scammers send these to your parents and demand a ransom.
Each step makes the next one easier. By the time you are asked to fake your own kidnapping, you may have been isolated and frightened for days.
Ask yourself: would real police ever tell you to hide from your own university?
Documented cases
Australia
- 2019 and 2020. There were "1,172 reports of... 'Chinese authority' phone scam across Australia" in 2019. In 2020, NSW Police reported eight virtual kidnapping cases with A$3.2 million paid. One father paid more than US$1.4 million after he was sent a video of his 22-year-old daughter tied up (CNN, 28 July 2020).
- 2023. NSW Police said "four cases were reported in April". The victims were aged 17 to 23, and families were told to pay between A$175,000 and A$200,000. A senior officer said some "psychologically traumatised" victims needed hospital care (NZ Herald, 12 May 2023).
- 2025. Almost 680 Chinese authority scams were reported in the first five months, with $5.1 million lost (Guardian, 29 June 2025). A 24-year-old Chinese national was arrested in Sydney in 2025 over scams targeting international students; the case is before the courts (ABC, 6 June 2026).
The national scam centre found that people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds made "7.0% of people reporting threat-based scams but accounted for 52.7% of losses", mainly because of Chinese authority scams (NASC, March 2026).
United States
In December 2023, a 17-year-old Chinese exchange student was found "alive but very cold and scared" in a tent near Brigham City, Utah. Police said his family had paid $80,000 to bank accounts in China (Guardian, 2 January 2024). The next day, the FBI issued a warning that Chinese police impersonators target "Chinese students attending universities in the United States" (FBI IC3, 3 January 2024). In 2026, the FBI said that since 2022 there had been "a significant increase in the impersonation of Chinese police officers... to defraud Chinese students" (FBI Philadelphia, 17 August 2026).
Canada
In 2018, the father of a University of Toronto student was told to have one million yuan ready or he would "get a dead body". The Chinese consulate in Toronto received "about 10 calls daily" about such scams between September and November, and the RCMP set up a task force (CBC, 21 February 2018). In 2026, York Regional Police said a young person was taken to an Airbnb in Mississauga for two days while a ransom was demanded, and warned that "this scam appears to target young Chinese students who are newcomers to Canada" (CBC, 12 February 2026).
United Kingdom
A University of Southampton student lost more than £30,000, "all of my tuition fee, accommodation fee", after a call from a "London courier" about a parcel was followed by a call from "Shanghai police" (BBC, 11 January 2022). In Northern Ireland, one Chinese student lost £200,000, and two earlier victims lost £105,000 between them (BBC, 3 October 2023).
New Zealand
In 2020, New Zealand Police reported a case in Auckland and said: "No Government agencies will ever ask you for these details via phone or WeChat" (NZ Herald, 15 September 2020).
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The same trick with immigration officers
Students who are not Chinese get versions of the same call. The caller claims to be from immigration and says there is a problem with your visa that you must fix by paying now.
- Canada: "IRCC will never contact you... to collect fees or fines to avoid deportation" (IRCC, 15 December 2017).
- United States: Scammers have spoofed the real SEVP phone numbers. The Department of Homeland Security "will never ask you to transfer money to an individual person" and "will never ask you to pay fees via phone or by email" (Study in the States, 19 February 2026).
- United Kingdom: In fake Home Office calls, payment is "most commonly, demanded to be made via MoneyGram". UKCISA says, "The Home Office does not issue financial penalties" in this way (UKCISA, 3 February 2026).
- China's missions: The Chinese Embassy in the US has said it "would not ask for personal information, deliver parcel pick-up notice or ask people to answer inquiries from police department by way of phone calls" (Embassy of China in the US, 9 June 2018).
What to do if you get the call
Advice from the police and the FBI:
- Hang up. NSW Police said the main message was not to pay any money, and to "Call the authorities, or just hang up" (CNN, 2020).
- Do not agree to be watched. The FBI says: "Do not consent to 24/7 video or audio monitoring" (FBI IC3, 2024). The ACCC says: "Never leave your camera on because someone has instructed you to" (Guardian, 2025).
- Call the agency yourself. Use a number from the official website, not one the caller gives you.
- Tell someone. Talk to your family, a friend or your university's international office. Secrecy is what the scam needs.
- Never pay. Real police and immigration officers do not collect fines or bail over the phone, by transfer or in crypto.
- Report it to local police and the national fraud service.
If you are a parent who gets a ransom call
- Try to reach your child on another phone, by message and through their friends or university.
- Call the university's security or international office. They can check on your child in person.
- Call the police where your child lives, or ask your country's consulate to help.
- Do not send money until police confirm what is happening.
Families who receive a ransom demand are not to blame. The scammers use real fear and real love. Our guide on stash houses and ransom calls explains the FBI's general advice on telling a fake kidnapping from a real one.
Frequently asked questions
What is a virtual kidnapping scam?
It is a scam where criminals convince a family that their child has been kidnapped, when no one has been taken. With international students, the scammers often first scare the student into hiding and sending staged photos, then send the photos to the parents and demand a ransom.
Do Chinese police or embassies call students about crimes?
The Chinese Embassy in the US has said it does not ask people by phone to answer police inquiries, give personal information or collect parcels. If someone calls saying they are police from your home country, hang up and contact your embassy using its official website.
Will immigration officials call me to pay a fine?
No. IRCC, the US Department of Homeland Security and the UK Home Office have all said they do not collect payments or fines by phone in this way. Hang up and contact the agency on an official number.
What should I do if I have already paid?
Stop all contact and do not pay again. Call your bank at once, report it to the police, and tell your university's international office. Save all messages, numbers and payment details.
How much have students lost to Chinese authority scams?
In Australia alone, reported losses were $12.9 million in 2025, from 1,294 reports, and the median loss was $55,000. Single cases in the UK have reached £200,000.
Will reporting a scam affect my visa?
Reporting a crime against you is not a visa offence. Police and universities want victims to come forward. If you are worried, ask your university's international office or a licensed immigration adviser for help.
