Virtual Kidnapping

For security experts such as Steven Domenikos, the rise of social networking has meant the arrival of a troubling new phenomenon called “virtual kidnapping.”

Here’s how it originally worked: Thieves would dial at random, trying to take advantage of surprise, and claim that “your daughter” had been kidnapped. People without daughters could see the scam right away, but in countries where actual kidnapping is endemic, thieves could often wring some money or jewellery out of desperate parents before they contacted their children.

Now these same criminals are using Facebook. They search for profiles, looking for young people bragging about an upcoming vacation. Armed with the dates and location, they target parents, hoping that their kids are out of contact for hours or days.

The crime is common in Central and South America. Domenikos, CEO of Massachusetts-based IdentityTruth, says he expects to see this newer, more sophisticated version hit North America soon.

“Bottom line: The individual consumer is on their own. There is no overseer, there is no policy, there is no governmental act that is going to help,” says Domenikos. “Unless you are very careful, you leave digital footprints everywhere.”