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  Geebo 8:00 am on May 9, 2024 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Scams ( 1,354 ), schools, spoofed calls ( 8 ), virtual kidnapping ( 44 )   

  Virtual kidnapping scammers posing as schools 

  

  By Greg Collier

  In a virtual kidnapping scam, fraudsters make deceptive phone calls to victims, claiming they have kidnapped a family member. They often play a recording of a distressed voice, creating panic. The scammer then threatens violence or death unless a quick ransom payment is made to them. Importantly, no actual kidnapping has occurred. It’s all manipulation and coercion.

  In a recent alarming development, a Pennsylvania school district has issued a warning to parents and community members regarding a new version of the virtual kidnapping scam. This time, the scam involves perpetrators posing as school officials and claiming that a child has been abducted from school premises.

  According to the Superintendent, the scam begins with a distressing phone call from a number resembling that of the school district. The caller starts the conversation with what appears to be the voice of the victim’s child, followed by an adult claiming that the child has been kidnapped from the school grounds. Adding to the sense of urgency, the scammer often incorporates background sounds of a child crying to heighten the emotional impact.

  In a recent incident, a cautious parent confronted with this harrowing scenario maintained composure and promptly contacted the school. Fortunately, the school staff swiftly verified the child’s safety, reassuring the distressed parent and coordinating communication between them.

  The key takeaway from this alarming episode is the importance of remaining calm and knowing how to respond if faced with a similar situation. There are crucial steps for individuals to take if they receive such a call.

  Contact your child directly or reach out to the school to confirm their location and safety. Prompt verification is essential to dispel any doubts and ensure swift action if necessary.

  If uncertainty persists or foul play is suspected, do not hesitate to contact emergency services by dialing 911. Time is of the essence in such situations, and swift intervention is vital to ensuring the safety of the child.

  Parents can also take proactive measures to safeguard personal information by reviewing and adjusting privacy settings on social media accounts. Limiting the information accessible to potential scammers reduces the risk of falling victim to such fraudulent schemes.

   

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  Geebo 9:00 am on December 7, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: kidnapping ( 10 ), Scams ( 1,354 ), schools, social media ( 79 ), virtual kidnapping ( 44 )   

  Scammers: “How much are your children worth?” 

  

  By Greg Collier

  We’ve been posting about the virtual kidnapping scam for a few years now. If you’re unfamiliar with this particular scam, this is where scammers claim to have kidnapped a loved one and demand a ransom. However, the scammers are bluffing, and are hoping you’ll panic enough that you’ll pay them. Within the past few months, a new and disturbing version of this scam has emerged. Instead of the scammers claiming they’ve kidnapped your spouse or parent, they’re now claiming they’ve kidnapped your child.

  We first saw reports of this scam coming out of the Northeast. It wasn’t long before the scam spread to the Southwest. More recently, it has found its way to California, making this a coast-to-coast scam. That means there’s nothing stopping it from showing up in any community.

  Police in Nevada County, California, have received multiple calls from parents of school age children. The parents have said they received phone calls from people who claimed to have kidnapped their children. According to police, the scammers weren’t able to provide any identifying information about the children they supposedly kidnapped. So, it seems like they were unsuccessful this time. That’s not always the case, though.

  In previous scam attempts, scammers were able to identify the children by name. More than likely, these scammers obtained information on the children through social media. Scammers even spoofed the child’s phone number to make it look like the call came from the child’s phone.

  Authorities in California has recommended to parents they should install a tracking/GPS app on their child’s phone. This way, if the parent receives one of these ransom calls, they can tell where their child is at that time. In most of the previous cases, the children were safe at school.

  If you’re a parent of school age children, you may not be able to avoid scam calls like this. However, you can take steps to prevent yourself from being scammed. If you receive one of these calls, try not to panic, and call your child’s school to make sure they are still there. Also, try to limit what information is shared about your child on social media. That includes talking to your children to let them know what information is ok to share and what isn’t.

   
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  Geebo 9:00 am on November 11, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: kidnapping ( 10 ), Santa Fe, Scams ( 1,354 ), schools, social media ( 79 ), virtual kidnapping ( 44 )   

  Child kidnapping scam spreads across country 

  

  By Greg Collier

  Last month, we discussed a scam that was targeting the families of public school children in the city of Boston. In this scam, the scammers would call the parents of school children and tell the parents that their child had been kidnapped. The children were even referred to by name in these phone calls, making the scam seem legitimate as possible.

  This is known as the virtual kidnapping scam. The reason it’s called virtual is that the scammers really haven’t kidnapped anybody. They’re just hoping they can convince their target that the kidnapping is real. Previously, scammers have claimed to have kidnapped parents, spouses, or adult children, but now they’ve branched out into claiming to have kidnapped school kids.

  What started out recently in Boston, has started to spread to other parts of the country. For example, a mother from Rhode Island received a call saying that her son had been abducted from a local drug store. She was told that her son had been taken by drug dealers from the store’s parking lot. Ransom was demanded from the women for the safe return of her child. Thankfully, local police were able to find her son was still at school, unaware of anything that had happened.

  Granted, Rhode Island isn’t that far from Boston, so some may think that the scam is localized. However, there have now been reports of the scam taking place in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Not exactly the Boston suburbs. In the case of Santa Fe, the scammers are particularly targeting the parents of children who attend Catholic schools in the area. As in the Boston scams, the actual names of the school children are being used in the scam.

  The thought of their child being abducted is the greatest fear of most parents. A phone call like this could put them in a state of panic they’ve never known before, so it’s easy to understand why they would think the kidnapping was real.

  The best way for parents to protect themselves from this scam is to know about the scam in the first place, so they know how to react if it happens. If you get a call like this, the first thing you should do is to try to contact the police on another line. You may want to also consider discussing this scam with your children and establishing a code word that only you and your children would know.

  It’s believed that the scammers get information about the children from public posts on social media. While we’re all proud of our children and want to share their accomplishments, you may want to limit social media activity about your kids to close friends and family, and make sure the posts can’t be reshared. And as always, consider having a discussion with your children about what information is and isn’t ok to share on social media.

   
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  Geebo 10:18 am on February 15, 2018 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Backpage ( 69 ), California ( 21 ), Human trafficking ( 97 ), schools   

  California schools to teach human trafficking awareness 

  

  While California may be the leading state in the country for human trafficking that doesn’t mean the state is taking it lying down. California is also one of the leaders in the country of human trafficking prosecution. This is the state that is trying to curb human trafficking at one of its roots by prosecuting the CEO and founders of Backpage.

  California is now trying to prevent human trafficking by using one of the greatest weapons known to man, knowledge. Back in October the state legislature passed a law that would require schools to train teachers and educate students on the signs of human trafficking. Let’s not kid ourselves that our children are not being targeted by pimps and traffickers online. With the advent of social media, these predators are using the impressionability of our children with promises of money and independence to lure them into a life of slavery.

  Since many parents are so unwilling to educate their children or are ignorant to the problem themselves that it is up to the schools to warn our children about these dangers. It’s more than high time for the rest of the country to follow California’s lead in this matter since the trafficking of women and children occurs in every state in just about every town.