Stanford student Elsa Johnson says she was targeted by a suspected Chinese agent who tried to recruit her as a spy, offering money and free travel to China.
In a first-person account she wrote for The Times of London on Thursday, Johnson said she first received a message on Instagram in June 2024 from a man calling himself “Charles Chen” and claiming to be a Stanford international student. His social media page showed photos of campus life and California outings, but inconsistencies quickly emerged.
At first, Chen’s messages were casual. He asked if Johnson spoke Mandarin — a detail not on her profile but correct. Soon, his tone shifted. He praised her, dangled promises of fame in China, and urged her to travel there. Chen even sent a $912 flight itinerary to Shanghai, claimed he would pay her expenses, and showed proof of a $5,485 bank transfer.
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