You want a better life for your teenage child.  You pay the costs for them to study abroad in Canada, thinking they’ll have a rich cultural and educational experience. 

They end up missing.  With no contact.  No information about their whereabouts.  

What can you do? Where are they?  How will you find them?

They’re missing in a new country where you don’t know anyone, you have no connections, no relationships that can help. You don’t know the first place to start.  

Missing International Students  - More Common than you Think

It’s surprisingly common - international students bring a significant amount of money into the Canadian economy.  A report from the Government of Canada on February 12th stated that international students contribute “more than $21 billion annually to our economy.”  With the large amount of foreign money coming in, there are always persons who will seek to exploit others and take advantage of long distance relationships for illegal personal gain.

A relatively new experience is a virtual scam, where criminals work to steal the personal identity of international students, tricking them into releasing money under false pretext of “fees or fines” for certain governmental issues.  Even worse, criminals sometimes blackmail international students into hiding and providing money under threat of releasing embarrassing information about them to their parents abroad.

It is at this point, parents face the horrific situation of their teenager studying abroad suddenly going missing.  How can an overseas parent get their child back?

Local Police and International Missing Persons

Historically, overseas parents and family of international students have not received the level of cooperation with local authorities related to international missing persons. Language barrier and being located abroad play a role in the immediacy taken by local law enforcement.  The government of Canada does have a resource for parents dealing with international child abduction, but it doesn’t provide much information or assistance in how to locate missing children.

Private Investigators are your Best and Safest Bet

A private investigator can be a devoted, dedicated, powerful, and professional resource.  Private investigators, working for your personal interests, have access to the local relationships and information databases that can speed up the search and increase its quality.

Private investigators, unlike local law enforcement, can walk the path less travelled, with the work ethic of a private professional, rather than a public servant. They can help tremendously with international investigations.

Examples of Virtual Kidnapping Scams  

In October 2017, the Canadian RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) released a statement warning International Students from China about an ongoing scam.  In this scam, Chinese international students are contacted by individuals who claim to be Chinese Government officials.  The students are told that they are guilty of crimes committed back home in China.  The fake officials threaten the students (often targeting the younger, more naive) into completing a number of actions, such as releasing bank account information, passport information, or transferring funds.  

The fake officials then claim that if the students do not carry out these actions, their families in China will be harmed or imprisoned.  While this is occurring, these same students’ families in China are contacted, again by individuals who claim to be Chinese government officials, and the family members are told their children studying abroad have been kidnapped, and the only way to free them is to provide the kidnappers with ransom money.  

One parent, Mike Zhang from Xinjiang province in China, shared his experience with CBC.  He received a call during which the person claimed “We have your daughter. Have one million [yuan] ready. Do not call the police or you'll get a dead body.” 

The Chinese consulate in Toronto alone received 10 calls each day from frightened parents and students between September and November 2017.  

How can private investigators help parents of missing international students?

1. Private Investigators are skilled at Locating Individuals

   While police are skilled and trained in a broad variety of law enforcement techniques, private investigators are heavily focused on surveillance and locating individuals.  

   If you need someone located, fast, private investigators have the skills, abilities, and professional resources to accomplish that task.  With access to valuable local capital such as relationships and informational databases, with years of experience finding people who do not want to be found, a private investigator can assist you when speed is a priority.

   In addition, private investigators locate individuals while remaining discreet.  They don’t “blow their cover” and tip criminals off.  They remain hidden while gathering information and video evidence.

2. Private Investigators can follow up on leads while Undercover

   Unlike police, who may knock on doors and employ uniformed officers, private investigators can conduct discrete inquiries while undercover.

   Moreover, private investigators can work harder and longer to follow a lead.  Whereas police serve the community at large and work within a limited budget, private investigators serve their client, and are paid for results.  This private market interest translates to professional and skilled individuals who will work hard to locate your child.

3. Private Investigators produce factual evidence that leads to action

   To a parent overseas, who can’t simply leave everything behind, fly to Canada, and start knocking on doors, nothing can be more valuable than a private investigation agency that can not only locate their missing child, but also provide actionable evidence to support law enforcement and have the child returned home safely.  This also may involve Apostille in Canada, in which private investigators may be experienced and skilled.  If your country is part of the Hague Convention there is a correct process to follow.

   Once your child is located, information gained by a private investigator can be legally used as evidence to support an official investigation by local law enforcement.  When evidence exists which shows that a crime has taken place, and the whereabouts of the victim and perpetrators are known, the job of law enforcement is much easier.  Local police and law enforcement are much more likely to allocate the necessary resources.

4. Private Investigators can liaise with local authorities.

   As discussed above, local authorities may not provide the immediate attention to an international missing person or abduction case due to lack of evidence or a language barrier.

   BUT when an investigation reaches a critical point, local police are critical to any international missing person or child abduction because they have authorities that private investigators in Canada do not have, including the ability to make arrests, lay criminal charges, and obtain search warrants.

   So it is imperative to hire a private investigator to obtain evidence that complies with legal standards in a discrete manner. Therefore hiring an expert investigator who is trusted by local authorities is a recipe for success.

In Summary: Qualified private investigators help ensure your missing child studying abroad comes home safely into your arms

In this horrific situation, unfortunately faced more and more often by parents, there can be a dreadful feeling of being all alone, and having to bear the burden and responsibility all by oneself.  Luckily, this is not the case. A trained, skilled, and experienced private investigative team can be your biggest ally to return your most valuable asset - your child - home to you, safe and sound.

If you’re facing this tragic situation and want assistance, see our resources and services here on Family and International Private Investigations.