New Type of Cyber-Enabled Fraud – Missing Person Scams
Scammers Target Families Who Post Missing Persons on Social Media
You see it every day on Facebook or other social media platforms. A family member posts that their teenager has disappeared or senior parent has not returned from a trip out of the house. The goal, of course, is to crowdsource the missing person’s recovery.
Here’s where the fraudster can come in: after identifying a missing person on social media, scammers research details of the disappearance, the missing person, and the missing person’s family. The scammers often obtain telephone numbers for the family members on social media and use third-party calling or messaging apps to call to make ransom demands.
The demand usually ranges from $5,000 to $10,000, with $7,000 being a common amount. Generally, offenders do not offer proof of life, although there is at least one instance where the scammer called the family pretending to be the victim. Offenders often claim the missing person is ill or injured, adding to the urgency of the situation and putting additional pressure on family members to pay the ransom.
Warning
SCARS and the FBI warns the public of scammers seeking to extort family members of missing persons. These actors identify missing persons through social media posts and gather information about the missing person and family to legitimize their ransom demands without ever having physical contact with the missing person.
What Is A Missing Person Scam
The FBI defines this type of extortion as a range of telephonic coercion schemes for extorting quick ransom payments from the families of missing persons who are manipulated to believe their loved one has been abducted, are at risk of being abducted, or is in imminent danger. Additionally, the FBI defines social media as websites and mobile applications that allow users to create and share content or to participate in social networking, or find people with similar interests.
This means it can come through the phone, email, messaging, or other means.
How Does A Missing Persons Scam Work?
It is common for scammers to only request small amounts of money as missing person scams tend to be a quick cash-grab. In addition to small requests, scammers tend to express some level of urgency in the payment by claiming the victim is either injured or sick.
In August 2020, a scammer targeted a mother who reported her 13-year-old daughter as missing on social media. The mother posted information on social media seeking assistance; however, that information was eventually used against her. Included in the online post was the mother’s personal phone number. According to the FBI’s Internet Crimes Complaint Center, scammers took advantage of this by calling the mother, claiming they had her daughter and required some ransom for her safe return. In the past, scammers have used this pressure tactic to demand ransom sums ranging from $5,000 to $10,000. Thankfully, the 13-year-old daughter had never actually been abducted and safely returned home before the scammers could capitalize on the family’s concern.
Scammer Methodologies
While scammers’ use of social media to target victims is known, its use to extort vulnerable families of missing persons is lesser-known. After identifying a missing person on social media, scammers research details of the disappearance, the missing person, and the missing person’s family. The scammers often obtain telephone numbers for the family members on social media and use third-party calling or messaging applications to make ransom demands to disguise their true telephone number. The criminal actor generally requests between $5,000 and $10,000 in ransom, with $7,000 requested in multiple instances.
These scammers use social media or networks to identify, initiate contact, and gain access to families of missing persons. The offenders usually do not offer proof of life. However, in one instance, an accomplice made telephone calls to family members claiming to be the missing person. Offenders often claim the missing person is ill or injured, adding to the urgency of the situation and putting additional pressure on family members to pay the ransom.
Since the onset of COVID-19 nationwide stay-at-home orders, law enforcement has received large numbers of reports of scammers targeting families who have posted on social media about their missing family members.
Although scammers used social media to identify victims prior to the pandemic, the effects of COVID-19 on families’ well-being are an added vulnerability and an additional opportunity for these actors to extort families of missing persons.
More Examples
In May 2020, a father reported his son missing to law enforcement. The child’s family created social media posts seeking assistance in locating their child, after which the child’s father received a text message demanding ransom.
In May 2018, a family reported an 18-year-old woman as missing. Local media reported the disappearance and family members posted a request for information on her disappearance to social media, along with a personal telephone number. Individuals claiming to have abducted the woman contacted the family telephonically at the provided personal number. One of the scammers claimed to be the victim and spoke to family members, saying they were drugged, threatened with physical assault, and taken to another state. Subsequent investigation revealed the missing woman was never abducted and was eventually found unharmed.
How Can Families Protect Themselves From These Fraudulent Requests?
Although these scams provide an initial wave of hope to the victim’s families, it is recommended to approach these online encounters with caution and let law enforcement handle the situation.
If you are the target or victim of an extortion attempt related to a missing person:
- Contact your local law enforcement agency or your local FBI field office – contact information can be found at (www.fbi.gov) immediately, just like any other kidnapping or ransom crime
- Keep all original documentation, emails, text messages, and logs of communication with the subjects. Do not delete anything before law enforcement is able to review it
- Tell law enforcement everything about the online encounters—it may be embarrassing for the parent or partner of a missing person, but it is necessary to find the offenders. When reporting online scams, be as descriptive as possible in the complaint form by providing:
- Name and/or user name of the subject
email addresses and telephone numbers used by the subject - Web sites used by the subject
- Description of all interactions with the subjects
- Name and/or user name of the subject
- Report this crime to the FBI first by phone, then other the FTC & Anyscam.com when it is determined to be a scam
If you are the victim of any online fraud, you should also report the incident to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov or call your FBI local office.
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