Virtual Kidnapping Extortion Calls Are On The Rise: Chicago FBI

CHICAGO – The FBI is alerting the public to a virtual kidnapping scam where nefarious criminals coerce families into paying high ransoms for “kidnapped” loved ones traveling internationally.

Though virtual kidnapping scams have been around for the past several decades, the scam has evolved to exploit new vulnerabilities, according to Emmerson Buie Jr., Special Agent-In-Charge of the FBI Chicago Division. The current abundance of affordable international travel deals combined with the widespread use of social media has created a fertile environment for virtual kidnappers.

The scheme works like this: virtual kidnappers scour social media looking for posts by international travelers. Scammers contact the traveler’s family, claiming their loved one has been taken hostage. Family members are coerced into paying a ransom quickly to ensure their loved one’s release. By the time family members realize they have been victimized, the ransom money is long gone.

Like the grandma-grandpa phone scammers who prey on the elderly by telling them their grandchildren are in jail and need bail money, virtual kidnappers can also be very convincing, often representing themselves as members of drug cartels or corrupt law enforcement. Families may hear screams in the background of a call, but virtual kidnappers have been known to use recordings and other fear tactics to sound more realistic. The scammers typically request immediate payment by wire transfer and push families to act quickly.

FBI Chicago offers the following tips to prevent falling victim to virtual kidnapping scams:

• Never post news of upcoming travel dates and locations online.
• Discuss virtual kidnapping with family members prior to any travel.
• Have a “password” that family members can ask for in an emergency to confirm that a loved one is really in trouble.
• Be wary of providing financial information to strangers over the phone.
• The calls may not come from the kidnapped target’s phone.
• Callers go to great lengths to keep victims on the phone.
• Callers are usually unable to answer simple questions about the “kidnapped” person, such as what they look like.
• Ransom money is only accepted via a wire transfer service.
• Callers request that the ransom funds be wired to multiple people in several small amounts.

FBI Chicago asks anyone who believes they are being targeted by a virtual kidnapping scam to call 911 immediately and ask that the FBI be notified.