Tech expert reveals how boom in AI has enabled hackers to create sordid real-life scenarios to target victims online - and what you can do to avoid being extorted

From Dailymail.co.uk (Jan. 7, 2024):

Virtual kidnapping scams have crept into the US for more than two decades, but the bizarre scheme has recently evolved and exploited many individuals across the country.

In a recent case, foreign exchange student Kai Zhuang, 17, was reported missing on December 28 after his family in China received threatening messages that he had been kidnapped.

Despite his host family in Utah reporting he had been seen earlier that day, his family paid an $80,000 ransom fee to Chinese bank accounts.

He was later found in the Brigham City Canyon after cops said he fell victim to a sordid 'cyber-kidnapping' scam.

The teen was told that his family back home was in danger while his parents in China were told that he had been kidnapped before they were extorted out of $80,000.

Dr. Chris Pierson, the founder and CEO of BlackCloak, a cyber security firm for high profile individuals, exclusively told DailyMail.com that Zhuang's case is 'an interesting escalation in terms of the current common scams' and that artificial intelligence is making cases like these easier to facilitate.

Though Pierson specifically represents celebrities and successful cooperate executives, he was also the former president of the FBI's InfraGard chapter in Arizona and worked for the Department of Homeland Security on the Privacy Committee and Cybersecurity Subcommittee.

When asked about the Utah case and cyber kidnapping as a whole, Pierson said that criminals behind these suspicious and frightening schemes typically target the foreign demographic and strive to get as much money as possible from their victims.

He revealed that foreign exchange students are the 'perfect demographic' for the crime mainly due to the time difference that they share with their biological families.

In Zhuang's case, his parents were back in China at the time of his apparent abduction, making it difficult for them to get in contact at the time.

Pierson also said that language barriers play a role in the offenders game plan as the victims can't pick up on differences or red flags, making it easier for them to be 'preyed upon.' [read more]

Welcome to the brave new world.