Tagged: school Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

  • Geebo 9:00 am on November 17, 2025 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , school, ,   

    The Fake Kidnapping Scam Targeting Parents 

    The Fake Kidnapping Scam Targeting Parents

    By Greg Collier

    Parents across the country are being targeted by voice-cloned “kidnapping” calls designed to trigger instant fear and fast payments. Here’s how the new AI-powered scam works—and what to do if it happens to you.

    A Call No Parent Wants to Get:

    Imagine this. Your phone rings, and the caller ID shows your child’s name. You answer—and hear your child sobbing, screaming, or begging for help. A voice comes on claiming to have kidnapped them, demanding money immediately via Zelle, Venmo, or wire transfer.

    Your heart stops. The voice sounds exactly like your child’s. The caller says not to hang up or contact anyone. In those few seconds, logic vanishes, replaced by pure panic.

    But here’s the truth: your child was never in danger. The voice wasn’t real. It was cloned using publicly available audio and AI software.

    Police across multiple states, including Arizona, Nevada, and Texas, are now warning families about this “AI kidnapping scam,” where fraudsters use voice cloning to extort terrified parents.

    What’s Going On:

    1. Data Gathering: Scammers find personal information about a child through social media, school websites, sports team pages, or even public posts from parents.
    2. Voice Capture: Using short video clips, livestreams, or TikTok audio, they feed the voice into an AI generator that can recreate it almost perfectly.
    3. The Setup: They spoof the caller ID to match the child’s number, then place a call claiming the child has been kidnapped or injured.
    4. Emotional Control: They play or generate a fake voice crying or pleading, then demand a ransom to “release” the child.
    5. Payment Pressure: Victims are told to stay on the line and not contact police while sending the money immediately.

    In 2025, the FBI and several state agencies have seen a surge in reports of this scam, often targeting parents of teens active on social media.

    Why It Works:

    • Emotion Over Logic: Parents act on instinct. Scammers rely on panic, not reason.
    • Familiar Voices: AI cloning can now reproduce tone, pitch, and background noise so convincingly that even close family members are fooled.
    • Instant Access: With the rise of short-form videos, most children’s voices are publicly available online, giving scammers all the data they need.
    • Speed of Payment: Apps like Venmo and Zelle allow instant transfers, which are almost impossible to recover once sent.

    Red Flags:

    • A call claiming a child has been kidnapped, injured, or detained—but demanding immediate payment and warning you not to contact police.
    • A voice that sounds slightly off, robotic, or unusually distorted.
    • Caller IDs that appear correct but are spoofed.
    • Ransom demands through digital payment apps or cryptocurrency.
    • Calls that cut out when you ask for details, such as the child’s location or who you’re speaking to.

    Quick Tip: If you get one of these calls, pause and verify. Text or call your child or their friends from another phone, or check their location through a shared device. Most parents discover within seconds that their child is perfectly safe.

    What You Can Do:

    • Create a Family Code Word: Every family member should know a secret word or phrase that can be used to confirm authenticity in an emergency.
    • Limit Voice Exposure: Remind kids to keep TikToks, YouTube videos, and livestreams private or friends-only.
    • Avoid Oversharing: Don’t post schedules, school names, or travel plans online.
    • Teach Calm Verification: Explain to older children and caregivers how to handle an emergency call safely.
    • Report Calls: Contact law enforcement immediately, even if the call turns out to be fake.

    If You’ve Been Targeted:

    1. Hang up or disconnect safely once you realize it’s a scam.
    2. Call or message your child directly to confirm their safety.
    3. Report the incident to your local police and the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3.gov).
    4. Document the phone number, time, and any details about the call.
    5. Warn your community through parent groups or school networks.

    Final Thoughts:

    The AI kidnapping scam is one of the most terrifying frauds to emerge in recent years because it hijacks the most powerful human instinct: the urge to protect your child.

    Technology now allows scammers to create synthetic voices that sound heartbreakingly real, but awareness and a calm response are the best weapons.

    Families who prepare ahead of time—with code words, communication plans, and digital privacy habits—can take back control from fear and keep scammers from profiting off panic.

    Further Reading:

     

  • Geebo 8:10 am on August 22, 2019 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , school,   

    Should schools take students’ phones? 

    Should schools take students' phones?

    It seems that kids are getting their own phones at younger and younger ages. While smartphones can be a very useful tool for school-age children, they can also be a large distraction while in class. School faculties have struggled with the debate over whether or not their students should have access to their phones while school is in session. While one may think that students without their phones would be less distracted, there’s no conclusive evidence to show that taking away their phones improves grades. However, one school in California is taking an unusual approach to the students and phones problem.

    San Mateo High School in Northern California has required students to keep their phones in a magnetically sealed bag. The students keep the bags on them during school hours but they do not have access to their phones until school is over. At that point, the school opens the bags for students with a device that looks similar to an anti-shoplifting device you might see at a store checkout. Some students have complained that the school does not unlock their phones during lunch but that sounds more like a logistical issue than one of admonishment. San Mateo High is not the first school to use these devices.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcDbJwZ7G9k%5D

    There appears to be at least one drawback to this program and that is one of student safety. Sadly, our schools have become targets of violence and threats. While the odds of a violent attack happening at any particular school is low, it is, unfortunately, a real possibility these days. If an attack were to happen and students would need to contact law enforcement or family would there be a way to release the bags during an emergency? While this is a worst-case scenario, it seems like this is a concern that needs to be addressed by schools using the device.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on August 13, 2019 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: back to school, , , , , , , , school   

    It’s the season for Back to School scams 

    It's the season for Back to School scams

    With September approaching and some schools having already started their school year it should come as no surprise that scammers will even use the back to school season to try to target potential victims. The largest targets among these victims will more than likely be college students. Considering that many of these students will be away from home for the first time, they may not have the real-world experience to recognize a scam. Hopefully, with this blog post they can be better educated on which scams to look out for that could potentially harm their college experience.

    The Better Business Bureau of Florida recently put out a list of the most common scams for students to look out for and we can’t help but recognize a few of them. For example, the BBB warns of phony job scams. In these scams, the perpetrator will use a phony email address that spoofs that of the university. The student will be promised a phony job where they will be sent a check that will be more than they were promised. Of course, the check is phony but by the time the student sends back the money their bank will charge them the full amount of the bogus check. Another common scam that targets college students is the phony scholarship scam. Phony companies will guarantee students grants or scholarships in exchange for a fee. Most scholarships and grants can only come from the government or the school so avoid these promises at all costs.

    While the above scams are largely illegal there are some legal scams to look out for as well. Many credit card companies will offer their cards to incoming students, however, many of them have either high annual fees or interest rates. It’s very easy to obtain one of these cards then find yourself in a world of debt that you weren’t prepared for. Then there’s the locksmith scam where a student may lock themselves out of their housing or car and they’ll call the first locksmith that comes up in a web search. Those locksmiths may not be local and may charge you an exorbitant fee. It’s better to research for a local locksmith before you lose your keys so you can have a reputable one readily available should the need arise.

    For a more comprehensive list from the BBB about these scams and others you can click this link.

     

  • Geebo 9:51 am on September 22, 2016 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , school,   

    Do you know how your kids’ school monitors them online? 

    Do you know how your kids' school monitors them online?

    These days a number of schools issue Chromebooks or iPads to their students to in order to assist the students with online learning. These programs are also often seen as a boon to families who may not necessarily be able to afford to provide their kids with electronic devices for school. But did you know that the schools can access those computers at almost any time?

    Usually when a school checks a child’s activity on a school issued device, it’s either to make sure the device isn’t being used improperly, or to make sure a student isn’t getting behind in their work. However, there have been incidents of abuse in the past where schools have used the devices’ cameras to allegedly spy on students in their homes.

    So what kind of privacy can you and your kids expect on these school issued devices. Well, according to TechCrunch, virtually none and the schools aren’t exactly forthcoming with that information. However this lack of privacy can be used as a teaching opportunity for your kids and how to behave online. It can teach them that their online activities can have real world repercussions and can prepare them to protect their own privacy for when they become adults.

     

c
Compose new post
j
Next post/Next comment
k
Previous post/Previous comment
r
Reply
e
Edit
o
Show/Hide comments
t
Go to top
l
Go to login
h
Show/Hide help
shift + esc
Cancel