Chinese students in Britain are being targeted in a new, two-way scam, the Chinese embassy in Britain warned on Wednesday, cautioning the students to remain vigilant.

Scammers are creating an elaborate "virtual kidnapping" in which Chinese students are told that they are allegedly implicated in crimes back home in China. Pretending to be Chinese officials, the scammers then coerce students to perform specific tasks, such as fake hostage videos, with the threat of violence against their family if they do not comply.

They are also often instructed to cease all contact with their families, while the scammers also contact their families simultaneously, informing them that the victim had been kidnapped, using the fake videos as evidence, and demanding large sums of money for their release.

According to the warning released from the Chinese embassy in Britain, a number of such cases have been reported to the authorities recently.

The embassy suggested that should Chinese students face such a situation, they should call British police or the emergency telephone number for help and contact the Chinese embassy or consulate in Britain to verify the situation.