FBI has issued an alert to families of missing persons to watch out for fake ransom scams in which cyber criminals demand money after collecting information about victims from social media.
The US Federal Bureau of Intelligence has issued a warning to inform the families of mission persons to never let their guard down and beware of fake extortionists.
The agency uncovered a new scam where missing persons’ families were targeted by cybercriminals to extort money via social media.
Although it isn’t a widespread practice, claims the FBI, still it is an ongoing campaign that has intensified tremendously during the COVID-19 pandemic.
How does the Scam work?
The scammers locate details of a missing person on social media. By performing open-source research scammers find out their profiles, social media posts, and disappearance details.
They also identify their families and obtain their contact numbers. Using third-party call or messaging platforms they contact mission persons’ families and demand the ransom.
SEE: Using hackers to find missing persons
According to the FBI, the ransom demands range between USD 5,000 to USD 10,000. The FBI has observed that scammers often ask for USD 7,000.
No Proof of Life Offered
It is highlighted by the FBI that the scammers do not offer any proof of life since it is all fake and they have no clue about the whereabouts of the missing individual.
In one case, the criminals did try to impersonate a missio ..
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