Share this page!

Enter URL or ID to Unroll

You can paste full URL like: https://x.com/threadreaderapp/status/1644127596119195649
or just the ID like: 1644127596119195649

How to get URL link on X (Twitter) App

  1. On the Twitter thread, click on or icon on the bottom
  2. Click again on or Share Via icon
  3. Click on Copy Link to Tweet
  4. Paste it above and click "Unroll Thread"!
  5. More info at Twitter Help
Insider News Profile picture
@InsiderNews
Mar 20, 2022 • 14 tweets • 7 min read • Read on X
Scrolly
About 10 years ago, when Erik Arbuthnot first heard about phony-kidnapping hustles, his fellow agents at the FBI scoffed at the cases.

Now they have become so widespread that the bureau has a name for them: virtual kidnappings.

Here's what's going on.👇

businessinsider.com/virtual-kidnap…
Last year, Richard Mendelstein, a soft-spoken 56-year-old software engineer at Google, received a call. On the other end of the line, Mendelstein heard his daughter sobbing in fear.

"They kidnapped me!" she screamed. "Dad, please help!"

businessinsider.com/virtual-kidnap… Text against a black background reads: "Then a man with
Over the past few years, thousands of families like the Mendelsteins have experienced the same bizarre nightmare: a phone call, a screaming child, a demand for ransom money, and a painful kidnapping that is revealed to be fake.

businessinsider.com/virtual-kidnap… Text against a black background reads: "Overall, the FB
What Arbuthnot calls the "explosion" of kidnapping hoaxes started in the summer of 2015.

Like any other telemarketing pitch, these calls are essentially a numbers game.

businessinsider.com/virtual-kidnap… Text against a black background shows a quote from Erik Arbu
The recordings are generic productions, designed to ensnare as many victims as possible.

From there, either you don't have a kid, or suspect something is amiss, and hang up.

Or, like many parents, you panic at the sound of a terrified child.

businessinsider.com/virtual-kidnap… Text against a black background reads: "Before you can
Under their command, your panic may drive you to offer up additional details the kidnappers can make use of, like your last name or home address.

Now, thanks to Google, they know your name, where you work and live, and your other children's names.

businessinsider.com/virtual-kidnap… Text against a black background shows a quote from Erik Arbu
Other elements are taken straight from the classic con playbook:

Don't give the mark time to think or talk to anyone.

Get them to withdraw cash and wire it somewhere untraceable.

Convince them any deviation from your instructions will cost them.

businessinsider.com/virtual-kidnap… Illustration shows a person driving a car. A shadow reveals
Who was behind these calls remained a mystery until a woman went to retrieve a ransom in person and a camera caught her license plate.

She was the girlfriend of Ismael Brito Ramirez, who was serving time in Mexico City on murder and kidnapping charges.

businessinsider.com/virtual-kidnap…
While in prison, Ramirez had decided to move into virtual kidnapping.

Ramirez smuggled some burner phones into the prison and set up a system for collecting ransom payments.

Prosecutors say the network set up by Ramirez scammed nearly 40 people.

businessinsider.com/virtual-kidnap… Text against a black background shows a quote from Erik Arbu
Despite charges against Ramirez and others with similar schemes, virtual kidnappings have spread to prisons in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.

It raises the question: How do you stop a crime being committed by someone you've already caught?

businessinsider.com/virtual-kidnap… Illustration shows four incarcerated individuals on burner c
There is little likelihood that the explosion in virtual kidnappings will abate anytime soon.

The FBI lacks the capacity to track so many random phone calls and small wire transfers coming from so many directions at once.

businessinsider.com/virtual-kidnap…
For now, the FBI is left trying to educate the public about how to spot the scams. Their advice? "Just hang up," Arbuthnot said.

Public awareness might cut into the profits of virtual kidnappers, but it won't put them out of business.

businessinsider.com/virtual-kidnap… Illustration shows a person slipping a bank teller a note th
Arbuthnot suspects kidnappers will soon make deepfakes with audio of real kids from online, manipulating it to sound like a plea for help; all it takes free software, Google, and time. And if there's one thing virtual kidnappers have, it's plenty of time.

businessinsider.com/virtual-kidnap…
Subscribe to @thisisinsider to read more about virtual kidnappings. 👇

businessinsider.com/virtual-kidnap…

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
　

Keep Current with Insider News

Insider News Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @InsiderNews

Insider News Profile picture
Oct 29, 2022
The Church of Scientology’s presence in “That 70’s Show” actor Danny Masterson’s trial on criminal rape charges was not just a metaphorical elephant in the room — it has eclipsed elements of the trial and reverberated beyond the courtroom. ⬇️
insider.com/danny-masterso…
Masterson is a second-generation Scientologist, and the three rape accusers are all former members of the church.
insider.com/danny-masterso…
Though the Church of Scientology is not on trial with Masterson, facets of its operation are woven throughout testimony.

The trial is demystifying the organization, particularly its celebrity allure and hierarchy, in a way many have never seen before.
insider.com/danny-masterso… Text graphic featuring a quote from Tony Ortega, a journalis
Read 12 tweets
Insider News Profile picture
Aug 17, 2022
Olivier Charbonneau, a 28-year-old from Canada, got a vasectomy months before the US Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

And once the news dropped, Charbonneau used social media to persuade other men to do the same. 👇

businessinsider.com/meet-a-canadia…
The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade enraged Charbonneau — even though he doesn't live in the US.

businessinsider.com/meet-a-canadia…
By overturning Roe, the Supreme Court has essentially made it illegal in at least 22 states to obtain an abortion. Charbonneau emphasizes that speaking out in favor of vasectomies is a way to show solidarity with women in the US.

businessinsider.com/meet-a-canadia…
Read 6 tweets
Insider News Profile picture
Jun 27, 2022
Members of Gen Z — those born after 1996 — told Insider they’re “terrified” of a post-Roe world. Today, the Supreme Court has reversed 50 years of constitutionally protected abortion rights.

insider.com/gen-z-reconsid…
Earlier this month, Insider published several social media callouts requesting reactions, responses, and replies from members of Gen Z regarding their thoughts on hookup culture and sex in a possible post-Roe world.

Dozens of shared their insights.
businessinsider.com/supreme-court-… Text-only graphic that reads "How Gen-Z described their
The primary feeling plaguing Gen Z ahead of the Supreme Court's decision was fear, people told Insider.

They described “shattered” views of child-rearing in a world plagued by climate change, COVID-19, and attacks on women’s reproductive rights.

insider.com/gen-z-reconsid…
Read 14 tweets
Insider News Profile picture
Jun 25, 2022
The Tulsa Women's Clinic has mostly sat empty since Oklahoma outlawed abortion last month. Now, they're packing up for good.

@WaltHickey and photographer @MichaelNobleJr talked to Tiffany Taylor, the supervising nurse, about the day Roe fell. ⬇️

insider.com/inside-the-tus…
At around nine a.m. on June 24, a patient was filling out paperwork at Tulsa Women's Clinic.

That's when Taylor got the text: "Roe just fell."

insider.com/inside-the-tus… Photo shows Tiffany Taylor sitting at a desk and covering he
The best Taylor could do was suggest the patient go to Kansas and Colorado — not an ideal solution.

insider.com/inside-the-tus… Photo shows a room at the Tulsa Women's Clinic. It is overla
Read 10 tweets
Insider News Profile picture
Jun 9, 2022
Every two weeks, a group of 20 people board a flight in Dallas, Texas, escorted by a member of the clergy, to receive reproductive care at a clinic in New Mexico.

Here's what's going on. 👇

businessinsider.com/network-religi…
The group organizing and fundraising for the trips includes Christian ministers and Jewish rabbis, united in the common goal of getting people the care they need.

The people on the trips qualify by being below a certain income level.

businessinsider.com/network-religi…
Some have never been on an airplane before. Most have jobs. Almost all have children.

Most get surgical abortions on the trip. At the end of the long day, they all fly home.

businessinsider.com/network-religi… Text against a black background shows a quote from Daniel Ka
Read 11 tweets
Insider News Profile picture
Jun 9, 2022
Uvalde has brought back painful memories for parents who have lost kids in school shootings.

Several parents spoke to @thisisinsider to offer solace and guidance to grieving Uvalde parents.

Here's what they said. 👇
insider.com/parents-of-kid… Image depicting Dora Mendoza, the grandmother of Amerie Jo G
The Uvalde massacre is the latest in an ever-growing list of school shootings.

The impacted Uvalde families now join a terrible but increasingly populous club of parents who have lost children in school shootings.
insider.com/parents-of-kid… Text only graphic that reads: "The massacre is the late
Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis' 6-year-old son Jesse Lewis was murdered in his 1st grade classroom at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut nearly ten years ago.

Watching the Uvalde tragedy brought painful memories flooding back.
insider.com/parents-of-kid…
Read 11 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!

This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us!

Send Email!

:(