The kidnapping phone scam is picking up steam across our country, and it can be scary. Here’s how it works. At any time of day, your phone rings, it could be a number you don’t recognize, or it could even be a number saved in your phone, (I’ll explain how that’s possible). When you pick up the phone you may hear some random background noise, then a child’s voice crying and asking you to help them. Was that your child’s voice? Through the adrenaline and panic, who could be sure? Next, you say their name, “Ryan, is that you?” Guess what, the scammer just stole their first bit of information from you, now they know you have a son and his name is Ryan.

Next, a loud and aggressive male voice gets on the phone and begins to attempt to intimidate you, bully you and convince you that he has your child. He demands money and tells you not to call the police. Your heart may be racing, your adrenaline through the roof, your hands shaking, STOP! Collect yourself, stay calm and follow our advice throughout this quick blog post.

What To Do If Faced With This Type of Phone Call

If you receive a phone call from someone claiming to have kidnapped your loved one, it's important to stay calm and not panic. This is a common phone scam that preys on people's fears in order to extort money from them. The first thing you should do is try to verify the caller's identity. If you can't do that, then simply hang up the phone. Do not give out any personal information or try to negotiate with the caller. They will often use aggressive language and threats in order to try to get what they want, but this is just a tactic to scare you into giving them money. If you do receive one of these calls, the best thing to do is just hang up and report it to the authorities.

To Be Clear on What We Recommend to do:

1. First, try to remain calm. This will help you think more clearly and make better decisions.

2. If possible, put the call on speakerphone so that others can hear what is being said. This can help to provide support and additional information.

3. Do not agree to anything the caller asks you to do, such as sending money or giving personal information.

4. If you can, try to get more information from the caller, such as where they are calling from or the name of the person they are allegedly holding.

5. Hang up the phone and contact authorities immediately if you believe you are truly being victimized by a kidnapping scam. Do not try to handle the situation on your own.

If you think you’ve received a kidnapping scam call, the FBI is recommending that you call 911 as soon as you hang up the phone. Let the emergency dispatcher know what happened. They’ll likely have a police officer call you back and file a report. From there ask the officer if the FBI will be contacted. If the answer is no, you could most certainly do it yourself.

Of Utmost Importance

Lastly, it’s imperative to be sure that you haven’t actually been the victim of a family member being kidnapped. Keep in mind, it doesn’t just have to be a child, they could claim to have kidnapped your spouse, or parent. Immediately make contact with them and verify their safety crazier things in this world have happened then someone getting kidnapped, so yes, it’s possible to happen.

Remember to always have some kind of plan, talk to you kids about this scam and others there are a lot out there. Check out our post on Identify Theft Scams. We even had to write one on IRS Scams you should be aware of.

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