Christian Peterson
ECB Publishing, Inc.
Scams continue to crop up throughout everyday life. Fake emails or phone calls from companies, claiming you are late on a bill or bought a product that wasn't purchased, are all too common. However, a new scam has started appearing that takes a more personal approach. It has been named the “virtual kidnapping ransom scam.”
The scam begins with a phone call, usually alleging the caller has a family member held captive. They usually say the victim's daughter has been kidnapped, and a female can be heard screaming and crying in the background. There are other variations of the scam as well. Some calls say the family member is being held because they caused an accident,
are injured and won't be allowed to go to the hospital until the damages to the vehicle are paid. The scammers will then usually provide specific instructions to ensure the return of the kidnap victim.
“You may be ordered to stay on the line until money is wired. The caller may claim not to have received the money and may demand more payment,” the National Institutes of Health website says.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has also put out a press release detailing ways to identify and avoid the scam. The following are indicators that the phone call is a scam: incoming calls from an outside area code, sometimes from Puerto Rico with area codes 787, 939 and 856; the call does not come from the alleged kidnap victim's phone; the caller will go to great lengths to keep you on the phone; the caller tries to prevent you from calling or locating the kidnap victim; and ransom money is only accepted via a wire transfer service.
If an individual finds themselves in the situation where they have received a phone call like this, there are a few things to do to control the situation. Try to slow the situation down and ask to speak to the victim directly. Say something like, “How do I know my loved one is okay?” In case the caller won't let you speak to the victim, ask for a description of the victim. If you are allowed to speak to the victim, listen very carefully to them. While on the phone with the caller, attempt to call, text or otherwise contact the victim from another phone. Also request that the victim call you back from their cell phone. Buy time by repeating the caller's request; pretend you are writing it down or tell the caller you need more time to meet their demands. Try not to argue or challenge the caller directly. Keep your voice calm. As soon as possible, call the police and make them aware of the situation.
On top of all this, be wary of what is public on social media profiles.
“The more information available to the public, the more information scammers can use to convince you into believing a scam is real,” the FBI said.