WATSONVILLE — The Watsonville Police Department on Thursday issued a warning that scammers are using “virtual kidnappings” to trick people out of their money.

In such a scam, a caller claims to have kidnapped the loved ones of the victim and demands a ransom.

In February, WPD took three reports of virtual kidnappings, said Watsonville Police Sgt. Brian Ridgway.

Virtual kidnapping is an extortion scheme and has been around for decades, Ridgway said.

Typically criminals make several calls to random phone numbers before finding someone that falls for it.

The suspects will sometimes play a prerecorded sound of a woman screaming in the background, in hopes that the call taker would respond with concern such as, “Mary, are you OK?” 

The suspects then tell the victim that they had “Mary” and would torture or harm her unless the victim wires money to them.

The scammers also often demand that the victim remain on the phone while they arrange a money transfer, so the victim cannot call to verify that their loved one is safe.

In two cases, the victims were on their way to transfer money when they flagged down police officers, who helped them determine the calls were scams.

One of the victims wired an undisclosed amount of money to the suspect in Mexico only to find her loved one at home and unharmed.

Once the money transfer is complete, the suspect ends the call. 

According to the FBI, many of these calls originate from prisons in Mexico. The amount of money demanded is usually under $2,000 because there are legal restrictions for wiring larger amounts across the border.

Anyone who believes a real kidnapping is taking place, or that a ransom demand is a scheme, should call their local law enforcement agency.

•••

In a virtual kidnapping scam:

• Callers try to keep you on the phone.

• Calls do not come from the supposed victim’s phone.

• Callers try to prevent you from contacting the “kidnapped” victim.

• Calls include demands for ransom money to be paid via wire transfer to Mexico; ransom amount demands may drop quickly.

Anyone who receives a phone call from someone demanding a ransom for an alleged kidnap victim:

• In most cases, the best course of action is to hang up the phone.

• If you do engage the caller, don’t call out your loved one’s name.

• Try to slow the situation down. Request to speak to your family member directly. Ask, “How do I know my loved one is OK?”

• Ask questions only the alleged kidnap victim would know, such as the name of a pet. Avoid sharing information about yourself or your family.

• Listen carefully to the voice of the alleged victim if they speak.

• Attempt to contact the alleged victim via phone, text, or social media, and request that they call back from their cell phone.

• To buy time, repeat the caller’s request and tell them you are writing down the demand, or tell the caller you need time to get things moving.

• Don’t agree to pay a ransom, by wire or in person. Delivering money in person can be dangerous.

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