Greg's Corner

New kidnapping scam crosses the line from virtual

By Greg Collier

If you don’t know how the virtual kidnapping scam works, it can be terrifying for those it victimizes. In this scam, victims receive a phone call from scammers who tell the victim they’ve kidnapped a loved one. Often, the scammers will have someone screaming in the background to make it sound like the supposed kidnap victim is being harmed. Or, the scammers will use an AI-generated voice clone of the victim’s loved one. This can put the actual victim into an emotional state where they’re not thinking clearly, to say the least. From here, the scammers will demand a ransom payment. However, the person the scammers claim to have kidnapped is typically safe and unaware they’re being used in a scam.

Now, some virtual kidnapping scammers have devised a new plot that takes the kidnapping part of the scam to a new level. This new scam tends to target college students who are here on international visas. They’ll receive a call that appears to come from their home country. The scammer tells the student that they’re in legal trouble back home due to their identity being stolen. Then the student is asked to make a payment to avoid arrest. That’s typical scam procedure, but then the scam takes a dark turn.

The scammers then try to isolate their victims by telling them they can’t tell anyone about this matter. Victims are told to refrain from using social media and to turn their phones off. Some victims are even being told to go to a hotel alone to further the isolation. This manipulation can go on for weeks.

Once the student is isolated enough, the scammers reach out to the victim’s family, telling the family they’ve kidnapped the student. In essence, they really have kidnapped the student, just not physically. This can be horrifying for all victims involved.

Anytime someone tries to isolate you from your friends and family over the phone, it’s almost a guarantee they’re trying to scam you. It’s recommended that if you receive a call like this to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI, or contact local or campus police.