VIRTUAL KIDNAPPING SCAM
The Lee County Sheriff's Office recently received information that a local citizen believed their relative had been kidnapped in Mexico. Lee County Sheriff Garrett Durrenberger met with the citizen to gather information and provide local assistance.
Sheriff Durrenberger learned that the local citizen received a phone call informing that their relative was being held against their will, and a ransom was demanded. The citizen wired money to unknown suspects in Mexico prior to meeting with Sheriff Durrenberger.
Sheriff Durrenberger reached out to state and federal agency partners to share the information.
The situation came to a conclusion, after the citizen learned from other family in Mexico that their affected family member was released without harm after the ransom had been received.
While this incident turned out to be legitimate, federal law enforcement partners have cautioned that a current criminal trend is to carry out "virtual kidnappings". Suspects will call and tell you that a family member has been kidnapped, and they will demand immediate ransom payments.
If you receive a call of this nature, the best course of action is to reach out to the family member directly or through other family/friends to determine if they are safe, or if the matter is legitimate.
Be sure to make timely reports to your local law enforcement agency. Even though we do not have jurisdiction in other countries, your Lee County Sheriff's Office will investigate these matters, offer any local assistance available, and document the incident which will then be forwarded to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
To date, the Lee County Sheriff's Office has received two reports of this type, one confirmed to be legitimate; and another that was a "virtual". The names and dates of these occurrences will not be released to protect the safety of the citizens involved.
We urge any of our citizens to come forward with information, if they have receive these type of calls. The Lee County Sheriff's Office is here to safeguard our citizens from any and all threats, both foreign and domestic.
Garrett Durrenberger
Sheriff ✩ Lee County
