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posted by janrinok on Sunday October 23 2016, @09:07AM   Printer-friendly
from the what-would-you-do? dept.

The phone rang. It wasn't a number she recognized, but distracted by the bleeding thumb, she answered it. Mom always answers the phone.

She heard screaming. It sounded like her 23-year-old daughter's voice, begging for help. Then an unfamiliar voice announced, "We have your daughter."

What followed next was five hours of hell. And it was all a scam...

Police call it a virtual kidnapping — an old scam that is having a renaissance across the country and particularly in the Washington region. The callers target affluent areas and find enough information online to make their ruse plausible.

Mueller, 59, had no idea that she was being played. She believed her daughter's life was at stake and did everything she was instructed to do.


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  • (Score: 3, Funny) by Ethanol-fueled on Sunday October 23 2016, @04:55PM

    by Ethanol-fueled (2792) on Sunday October 23 2016, @04:55PM (#417888) Homepage

    Here's a similar scam which was actually attempted on my grandma.

    Somebody called her impersonating me and told her that he was in jail and needed $1000 for bail. Surprisingly, she didn't believe it.

    In fact she turned her ringer off until I figured something was funny and went to visit her. She may be hard of hearing but at least she still has half a brain in her.

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  • (Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 23 2016, @07:15PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 23 2016, @07:15PM (#417928)

    Surprisingly, she didn't believe it.

    Yea, you go ahead and keep thinking that.

    Can't possibly imagine why someone would turn off their ringer if you were calling for help from jail. :P

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 23 2016, @11:59PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 23 2016, @11:59PM (#417989)

    I am curious, Eth. What makes you think she did not believe it?

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 24 2016, @01:41AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 24 2016, @01:41AM (#418005)

    Hey Eth -- didn't you know that *you* were the subject of "The Ransom of Red Chief" by O. Henry?
    Your granny was hoping to get rid of you...