After two recent reports of “virtual kidnappings,” University of Guadalajara Rector Ricardo Villanueva has issued a warning to students to remain vigilant against telephone extortion schemes.
“Every month, we see a new form of extortion,” he said, advising students to immediately hang up on any suspicious calls and report the incident to university or high school authorities, as well as inform their families.
A virtual kidnapping tricks victims into paying a ransom to “free” a loved one who they believe is being threatened. In reality, no one is kidnapped. Instead, scammers use deception and threats to coerce victims into quickly paying a ransom before they realize the scheme. The criminals keep victims on the phone to prevent them from verifying their loved ones’ safety or contacting law enforcement. Ransom demands are typically requested via bank transfer or cash deposit.
The exact success rate of these scams is unclear, as many victims don’t report the crime—either due to embarrassment, fear, or because they consider the financial loss insignificant.
Unfortunately, cybercriminals are even finding ways to exploit new technologies for ill-gotten gain, including using AI to accurately impersonate real people as part of their virtual kidnapping scams.