Tsinghua Graduate at UCL Missing After Suspected Telecom Scam

The family of a 23-year-old Chinese master's student at University College London say they have been unable to reach him since November 1 following a suspected scam, Hongxing News reported on November 3.

The family said they had reported the case to British police and contacted UCL. An email from the university's crime prevention team, provided by the family to Hongxing News, said the university had also reported the matter to police and would update them after hearing back.

The student, identified by his surname Shi, graduated from Tsinghua University's Department of Chemistry in 2026 and moved to the UK in September for postgraduate studies, his family said.

On October 20, Shi told his family he was subject to an immigration investigation and asked them to transfer at least 70,000 pounds into his bank account so he could provide proof of funds.

Separately, the family said police in Nantong, Jiangsu Province, visited their home on November 1 at the request of the Beijing Anti-Fraud Center. Officers told them Shi had transferred more than 400,000 yuan out of his account in multiple transactions since October 25.

"That's when police came to our home and told us he had been scammed," his mother said.

The family said nothing had appeared unusual during a video call with Shi on October 31. During another video call on November 1, after police alerted them to the suspected fraud, Shi said he had been exchanging currency on behalf of a classmate.

He ended the call after about five minutes. His family said they had been unable to speak with him since.

After losing contact, family members logged into his email account and found that its inbox was emptied shortly afterward, they said.

On November 2, they received an email from his account saying: "I am safe. I have been scammed. I am very sorry. I want to be alone for a while."

The family said Shi had never previously communicated with them by email. They feared he might be acting under someone else's direction, but his whereabouts and the circumstances surrounding the email remained unclear.

The family also provided screenshots showing two declined credit card transactions. They said the first, for HK$11,532 on November 1, was an unsuccessful attempt to buy a ticket to Cambodia. The transaction was declined because of an abnormal account status.

A second transaction, for 1,123.50 pounds, was declined on November 2. The family believed it was another attempt to buy a plane ticket but did not know the destination. The failed transactions do not establish that Shi left Britain.

A UCL student told Hongxing News that he had visited Shi's accommodation but did not find him there. Shi's roommate said the matter had been reported to police.