PANJIM: In a disturbing trend, cybercriminals are targeting anxious parents with fraudulent calls claiming their child has been kidnapped or is in police custody, demanding ransom money in exchange for their safety or release.
“We have received multiple complaints from parents who have received such calls,” said Rahul Gupta, Superintendent of Police, Cyber Crime. “These scammers are using emotional manipulation to extort money from
panicked parents. We urge parents to remain calm and verify the claims before taking any action.”
Gupta warned that the scammers often use foreign country codes (+92) or VPN-generated numbers to make the calls, and may use specific details or background noises to make the threat seem more credible.
“Don’t fall prey to these tactics,” Gupta advised. “Contact your child directly or through other family members or friends to verify their safety. And most importantly, do not pay any money or comply with the scammer’s demands.”
Parents are advised to document the call details and report the incident to local police or cybercrime units. The Department of Telecommunications has also set up a portal (https://sancharsaathi.gov.in/sfc/Home/sfc-complaint.jsp )to report such incidents and permanently block the scammer’s phone number. As preventive measures, he advised people to adjust privacy settings on social media to limit who can see their personal information, educate family members and use call blocking to screen suspicious calls from high-risk country codes.
