Overview
- An FBI public service announcement on Dec. 5 warns that scammers text victims claiming a loved one is captive, demand quick payment often via cryptocurrency or gift cards, and issue threats of violence.
- Criminals mine public social media and missing-person posts, then send AI-manipulated photos or videos as fabricated proof to pressure families.
- Some extortionists use timed messages to limit scrutiny, yet fake images often show errors such as missing tattoos or distorted body proportions.
- Recommended precautions include limiting public sharing while traveling, establishing a family code word, screenshotting any proof-of-life images, contacting the purported victim, and filing a report at ic3.gov.
- The PSA did not provide current complaint totals; the FBI previously logged 357 emergency-scam complaints last year costing $2.7 million, and reports note some cases use spoofed phone numbers.