FBI: Be Alert to ���Virtual Kidnapping��� Scam

Courtesy of the FBI���s website, we now know of another scam for which Americans need to be on the lookout���because bad guys never seem to tire of finding ways to separate us from our hard-earned dollars. Virtual kidnapping has arrived to terrorize and defraud innocent citizens.

As with many other scams popular nowadays, the most important mechanism to perpetrating the crime is the telephone. And as with other telephone scams, virtual kidnapping involves leveraging victims into forking over money by way of extortion.

Here���s basically how it works: A victim receives a random phone call and hears a woman screaming, and asking if ���Susan,��� for example, is OK. Then a male voice comes on the line and informs the call recipient that if they don���t pay a ransom to free ���Susan,��� she will be killed. Of course, ���Susan��� has not actually been kidnapped, and many families may not even have someone named Susan as a member.

However, as FBI Los Angeles Special Agent Erik Arbuthnot says, while the fraud does not succeed terribly often, when you���re ���making hundreds of calls, the crime will eventually work.��� Many of the calls are traced back to Mexican prisons.

Here is a good overview of the crime, and watch to watch for, straight from FBI.gov:

���The success of any type of virtual kidnapping scheme depends on speed and fear. Criminals know they only have a short time to exact a ransom before the victims unravel the scam or authorities become involved. To avoid becoming a victim, look for these possible indicators:

Callers go to great lengths to keep you on the phone, insisting you remain on the line.

Calls do not come from the supposed victim���s phone.

Callers try to prevent you from contacting the ���kidnapped��� victim.

Calls include demands for ransom money to be paid via wire transfer to Mexico; ransom amount demands may drop quickly.

If you receive a phone call from someone demanding a ransom for an alleged kidnap victim, the following should be considered:

In most cases, the best course of action is to hang up the phone.

If you do engage the caller, don���t call out your loved one���s name.

Try to slow the situation down. Request to speak to your family member directly. Ask, ���How do I know my loved one is okay?���

Ask questions only the alleged kidnap victim would know, such as the name of a pet. Avoid sharing information about yourself or your family.

Listen carefully to the voice of the alleged victim if they speak.

Attempt to contact the alleged victim via phone, text, or social media, and request that they call back from their cell phone.

To buy time, repeat the caller���s request and tell them you are writing down the demand, or tell the caller you need time to get things moving.

Don���t agree to pay a ransom, by wire or in person. Delivering money in person can be dangerous.

If you suspect a real kidnapping is taking place or you believe a ransom demand is a scheme, contact your nearest FBI office or local law enforcement immediately. Tips to the FBI can also be submitted online at tips.fbi.gov. All tipsters may remain anonymous.���

By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large