In March of this year, a 20-year-old female student from Shandong went to study in Malaysia. On the 5th day, she received a scam phone call and was remotely monitored by the scammers for 24 hours. She eventually jumped from a building and passed away due to unbearable mental pressure and not wanting to burden her family. Her family reported the incident to the police over four months ago, but there has been no progress to date.
According to a report by Ziniu News on August 20, Mr. Li from Shandong is still struggling to come to terms with the loss of his 20-year-old daughter, Xiaowen (alias), who tragically took her own life by jumping from a building just 9 days after going to Malaysia to study.
Mr. Li explained that his daughter, Xiaowen, did not meet the entrance requirements for a bachelor’s degree due to poor performance in the college entrance examination. Through connections, he arranged for her to study in a college program in Yantai, but due to insufficient enrollment slots, she was transferred to the international undergraduate program at Shandong Academy of Arts, and left for Malaysia to study at the University of Botla on March 13 this year. On March 22, Xiaowen sent a handwritten letter to her mother requesting 258,000 yuan. In the letter, she mentioned signing a confidentiality agreement and instructed her mother to delete the letter immediately after reading to avoid any trouble. Her mother suspected it was a telecommunications scam and advised Xiaowen not to believe it. However, Xiaowen did not reply, and did not answer her mother’s voice calls.
Concerned about his daughter, Mr. Li contacted the teacher in charge of the study program immediately. Later that night, the teacher informed him that a student living in the same place as Xiaowen had jumped from the 39th floor, prompting them to take the earliest flight to confirm her identity.
Upon arrival in Malaysia, Mr. Li confirmed his daughter’s death. Through Xiaowen’s phone, Mr. Li discovered that she had fallen victim to a telecommunications scam. The chat records on her phone showed that the scammers posed as police officers, informing her that she was implicated in a scam that led to the death of an elderly lady. After explaining the situation, they claimed her phone account had been hacked and demanded 258,000 yuan as proof of innocence, threatening her with international arrest within days and at least a year of imprisonment. In addition to the fake police officer, a fake prosecutor also contacted Xiaowen, urging her to pay as soon as possible to avoid implicating her family.
The scammers even made Xiaowen download a mobile app that monitored her actions 24 hours a day for four consecutive days through phone calls, messages, and the software.
“They controlled her mind, even dictating her bathroom visits. My daughter was surely pushed to the point of no return by them, hence choosing to end her life by jumping from the building,” Mr. Li said in an emotional interview.
After the incident, with the help of a Malaysian journalist, Mr. Li filed a case with the local police. After returning to China, he also reported the case to the public security bureau in Zhucheng, Shandong. The police started investigating the case on April 9, but after more than four months, despite multiple contacts with the police, there has been no progress.
Mr. Li expressed that it has been over four months since the incident, but each mention still agonizes his heart. He now only hopes to seek justice for his daughter.
On August 20, a reporter from Ziniu News called the public security bureau in Zhucheng for information on this matter, and they stated that the case was under investigation by the anti-fraud squad.
The staff in charge of admissions for the international program at Shandong Academy of Arts mentioned that the diploma received in the program is issued by foreign educational institutions and is not related to Shandong Academy of Arts.
A staff member from the school’s admissions office mentioned that they had heard about the incident of the girl being scammed and jumping off a building while studying in Malaysia, but they were unclear about the specific details of the handling process. They stated that they would report the matter to the leadership and provide a response later, but as of the time of publication, there has been no response.