FBI warns of scammers targeting families of missing persons

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) warned that scammers actively target the vulnerable families of missing persons attempting to extort them using information shared on social media.

The warning comes in the form of a public service announcement issued through the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) on Friday.

"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," the FBI said.

"Generally, offenders do not offer proof of life. However, in one instance, an accomplice made telephone calls to family members claiming to be the missing person."

Ransoms between $5,000 and $10,000

Scammers involved in this type of extortion try to manipulate the missing persons' families via phone calls or text messages into believing their loved ones are in immediate danger or have been abducted.

The scammers will also frequently claim the missing person is injured or ill and can't reach out to their family, thus adding urgency to the situation and pressuring family members to pay ransoms ranging "between $5,000 and $10,000 in ransom, with $7,000 requested in multiple instances."

Law enforcement has received several reports of scammers targeting families after sharing missing family members' info on social media since COVID-19 nationwide stay-at-home orders have been issued.

The FBI has shared several representative examples for this type of scam, with extortion attempts going back as far as 2018:

In August 2020, a mother reported her 13-year-old girl as missing. The family used social media to ask for assistance and posted a personal telephone number, which individuals claiming to have kidnapped the daughter used to contact the mother, demanding ransom. The girl had not been abducted and eventually returned home on her own. 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.

Families of missing persons recently targeted in Alaska

FBI's PSA comes after a press release [PDF] issued by Alaska's Department of Public Safety two months ago warning of the same disturbing trend.

"This scam is particularly disturbing and abhorrent as distraught families are already navigating the uncertainty and grief associated with their loved one's disappearance," Colonel Bryan Barlow, Director of the Alaska State Troopers, said.

"Not only will the family potentially fall for the scam and lose money, the scam itself can exponentially intensify the grief and anxiety they are already feeling."

As the State of Alaska alert said, the scammers also warn their targets not to reach out to law enforcement before trying to persuade them into paying ransoms via PayPal or other payment methods.

Scammers have also created their own fake missing person reports in the past and used them to harvest Facebook users' passwords.

You can find detailed information on how to report such extortion attempts at the end of the FBI's PSA.