{"id":45976,"date":"2018-06-27T20:11:31","date_gmt":"2018-06-27T20:11:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/06\/27\/army-investigators-issue-warning-about-virtual-kidnapping-scam\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T03:51:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T03:51:14","slug":"army-investigators-issue-warning-about-virtual-kidnapping-scam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/your-army\/2018\/06\/27\/army-investigators-issue-warning-about-virtual-kidnapping-scam\/","title":{"rendered":"Army investigators issue warning about \u2018virtual kidnapping\u2019 scam"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A parent in an Army family got a threatening phone call recently from someone claiming a child in the family had been abducted, and demanding money for the safe return of the child. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The parent called the school and learned the child was safe and in class. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Virtual kidnapping hoaxes aren\u2019t a new type of scam, but because this recently happened to someone in the Army community, a warning<\/a> has come out from officials at the Army\u2019s Criminal Investigation Command. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The scam usually involves a phone call in which the caller claims to have taken a child <\/a>or a loved one. The caller says something like \u201cI\u2019ve kidnapped your kid. Send money or the kid dies,\u201d according to CID.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Victims of this scam have reported hearing screams, crying or pleas for help, all effects that are fake to persuade the victims to respond to the demands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The scammers appear to choose their victims randomly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey dial sequential numbers until the call is answered by someone they can shock into believing that their child has been kidnapped,\u201d CID officials said in a release Wednesday. \u201cThe caller’s approach is forceful, well scripted and can be very convincing.”
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