How to Survive a 'Virtual Kidnapping' Dane Schiller - Houston Chronicle
go to original September 1, 2014

It works like this: you’ll get a call from someone who tells you they have kidnapped one of your friends or family members, perhaps your child. They say if you pay a few thousand dollars of ransom, everyone will be OK and this will be over quickly. They play on people’s fears of real kidnappings, which have been all too common for years in Mexico.

They will scream at you and curse at you and even let you hear the voice of someone screaming in agony, someone who is supposedly your loved one.

To avoid become a victim, the FBI warns to look for the following indicators:

1. Incoming calls from an outside area code.

2. The calls do not come from the kidnapped person’s phone, but some other phone.

3. Caller goes to great lengths to keep you on the phone.

4. Ransom is always wanted via a wire transfer service.

If you get a call from someone demanding ransom, the FBI recommends you consider the following tips:

1. Stay calm.

2. Slow down the situation.

3. Avoid sharing information about your family.

4. Listen carefully to the voice of the caller.

5. Attempt to determine the location of the supposedly kidnapped person.

6. Request to speak to the victim.

7. Ask questions that only the victim would be able to answer.

8. Request that the victim call back from his or her cell phone.

Read the rest at Houston Chronicle

Photo: AP/CBS

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