{"id":6094,"date":"2016-09-19T05:51:39","date_gmt":"2016-09-19T09:51:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/?p=5509"},"modified":"2020-06-22T03:39:59","modified_gmt":"2020-06-22T07:39:59","slug":"threat-virtual-kidnapping-explodes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/blog\/threat-virtual-kidnapping-explodes\/","title":{"rendered":"Threat of \u201cVirtual Kidnapping\u201d Explodes"},"content":{"rendered":"

The media floods us with news stories about kidnappings from around the world \u2014 most with tragic endings.<\/p>\n

But few people take the threat seriously. You and your loved ones probably don\u2019t even worry about kidnappers, especially if you live in a nice neighborhood in a nice town.<\/p>\n

Well…start worrying. Criminals have come up with a new way to terrorize you from anywhere. It\u2019s called “virtual kidnapping.”<\/p>\n

So what\u2019s the difference between “kidnapping” and “virtual kidnapping?”<\/h3>\n

In the traditional kidnapping, a lone criminal or a gang abducts you or your loved one for ransom. They can demand the payoff from you, your family, or your employer.d<\/p>\n

Kidnapping for ransom is a huge global enterprise today. In Mexico, well-to-do families rarely travel without bodyguards. And the worldwide success of kidnapping has inspired the rise of “virtual kidnapping.”<\/p>\n

Virtual kidnapping is more like a scam because nobody really gets “taken.” The scam normally starts when you get a frantic phone call from a criminal who tells you that they have snatched a family member or someone near and dear to you.<\/p>\n

You may even hear faked screams in the background. The caller may tell you that he has a gun pointed at your loved one\u2019s head and that he will kill the loved one if you don\u2019t pay up.<\/p>\n

To keep the call from being traced, the crook will use a “burner phone,” a cheap cell phone with prepaid hours on it. When the deed is done, the phone will be thrown away so it can never be used again.
\nBefore you begin to think straight, the caller might order you to wire transfer a designated sum of money to a numbered account in Gibraltar, the Caribbean, or the Far East.<\/p>\n

Or the crook might order you to go directly to your bank right then and withdraw a less-conspicuous stash in small bills as a ransom payment.<\/p>\n

The manipulative criminal will try to keep you on the phone for as long as possible, and the crook will warn you not to call the police or anyone else until the deal is done.<\/p>\n

The kidnapper might claim to control your loved one\u2019s cell phone and might even threaten to kill your loved one if you dare to call that phone.<\/p>\n

To ramp up the emotional pressure, the thug might tell you that your loved one has been injured, maybe even bleeding severely. And the punk will tell you that the quicker they get the money, the quicker your loved one can get medical care.<\/p>\n

When virtual kidnappers call, they convince your family that the threat is reality \u2014 even if everyone is perfectly safe.<\/strong><\/p>\n

All this drama is calculated to distract you from even thinking about the shocking truth \u2014 that they don\u2019t have your loved one at all! It\u2019s all a cruel hoax!<\/p>\n

Your loved one is perfectly safe. But the chances are you won\u2019t find this out until you\u2019ve already shelled out the ransom.<\/p>\n

In another twist, sometimes they don\u2019t even pretend to have snatched your wife, son, or granddaughter. They just threaten to kidnap them, backing up their threat with reams and reams of personal details, including birth dates, addresses, school names, and more.<\/p>\n

How do the virtual kidnappers target you?<\/strong>
\nVirtual kidnappers scour social media and the internet to select their targets to “kidnap.”<\/p>\n

They find out where their target lives, works, socializes, shops, and plays. They identify their target\u2019s family, friends, neighbors and co-workers.<\/p>\n

If the target is on vacation or away on business, they can uncover the victim\u2019s schedule and located the victim\u2019s hotel and room number.<\/p>\n

Some kidnappers use sophisticated scams to get information about a target. They set up fake kiosks in malls and public spaces as a ploy to get information from passersby. \u00a0They arrange giveaways for iPhones and Xboxes in upscale areas where residents blithely share their names, addresses, phone numbers, and occupations.<\/p>\n

On the other end of the spectrum, intelligent criminals employ social engineering concepts to coerce information out of people gently on the phone, which can later be used against them.<\/p>\n

Isn\u2019t this the type of thing that only happens at vacation spots?<\/strong>
\nVirtual kidnappings are not a new threat. Places like Latin America and Asia have had these criminal scams going on for more than a decade.<\/p>\n

And while virtual kidnappings certainly can and do happen at vacation spots around the world, they also happen in your backyard.<\/p>\n

In the past few years, there has been a dramatic increase in these virtual kidnappings all over the United States: from California to New York, Texas to Washington, D.C., and many other states in between. This crime is not limited to any one state or area.<\/p>\n

Virtual kidnappings can be committed by a gang or cartel, or by everyday criminals who want to enjoy the spoils of their “hard labor.”<\/p>\n

The psychological aspect.<\/strong>
\nAs I said earlier, a virtual kidnapping does not involve an actual abduction.<\/p>\n

So the kidnappers must be very convincing to instill fear into the people they call so the terrorized folks will give up the dough before the scam unravels. And just like when Broadway actors play to the front rows, the greater the drama, the greater the chances of selling their roles.<\/p>\n

For the hoods, there are advantages and disadvantages to a virtual kidnapping.<\/p>\n

The advantages: It requires fewer resources and less preparation. Plus it\u2019s tough for law enforcement to identify and catch “virtual kidnappers,” because few if any physical clues tie them to the crime.
\nA major disadvantage: virtual kidnapping doesn\u2019t pay well, because it\u2019s hard to convince people to give up big jackpots on the spur of the moment when all you use is smoke and mirrors.<\/p>\n

But overall, the risk-reward ratio favors the crooks.
\nIn the past several years, the kidnappers have developed an even more sophisticated modus operandi while intimidating people into paying them off.<\/p>\n

For example, sometimes the crooks bully a relative of the “victim” into ditching his cell phone after they\u2019ve given him directions for the drop-off.<\/p>\n

They tell the relative that they\u2019re going to follow him or her on a predetermined wild goose chase, moving from place to place, traveling in unfamiliar areas, and making withdrawals from various ATMs.<\/p>\n

The idea behind this is to separate him from his co-workers, friends, and family – to break communication with everyone he knows. So when the drop-off finally happens, the “kidnappers\u201d can feel comfortable that they won\u2019t have to deal with the cops, the feds, or the fake victim\u2019s Uncle Vito.<\/p>\n

How do you deal with virtual kidnappers?<\/strong>
\nHere are some practical tips on what you can do, should you find yourself targeted:<\/p>\n