A phone scam identified as “virtual kidnapping” has made its way across the United States.
The scam relied on people using fake kidnapping for a ransom. This kidnapping originates in Mexico but has spread to the United States showing up in places such as Arizona. A special agent from the Phoenix FBI, Glenn Milnor, gave his take on these scams.
According to Milnor this scams have become regular and originate with a phone call from an unknown source. “They’re doing everything from calling parents and basically saying, ‘We have just abducted child from a school,’” Milnor said. “In the background, you’ll either heard a recording or a live person screaming.”
Normally the person is screaming for a parent to help them, according to Milnor. According to Milnor the calls generally originate from Mexico. He also thinks some of the calls are coming from people imprisoned within the United States calling from numbers of people who smuggled phones into prisons.
The person calling will generally ask for thousands of dollars to be wired to a Mexican bank account. If a person refuses the person on the other end will threaten harm to their family members or loved ones.
Milnor hopes addressing this campaign will result in more people coming forward with information on these calls. If people come forward, Milnor says, the FBI will have an easier time tracking these scams.
“We don’t have exact number right now because it seems that the victims of this are hesitant to call in,” Milnor said. “They’re either embarrassed or they feel like there might be more retribution coming their way if they call law enforcement.”
If a person faces these “virtual kidnapping” calls, Milnor advises the person to hang up the phone, record the number, and notify their local police department.
Milnor points out that often times there is no danger associated with this calls. “Often times there is no kidnapping,” Milnor said. “There is no one that is associated with your child or your loved one. It’s all a fraud.”
