The two Venezuelan security forces have issued a series of preventive alerts about these criminal modalities that combine psychological manipulation with the use of new technologies.
Among the crimes detected, the called “kidnapping by fiction”, a telephone extortion technique which has set off the alarms of the security forces due to its ability to break the will of the victims through panic. Police reported solving at least five cases in the past three weeks.
Of agreement With authorities, “kidnapping by fiction” uses deception and digital isolation to extort money from people without the need for an actual physical kidnapping. According to sources, the modus operandi of criminals works as follows:
- Victim capture: Criminals contact companies that provide home services (such as celebration agencies, dog groomers or spare parts sales) to request a contract.
- Appointment in remote areas: The alleged contractor requests that the service be delivered to a specific location, which is usually inhospitable areas, with the promise of paying in person upon arrival.
- Arrival at the site and contact: Once the worker arrives at the location and notifies his presence, the criminals tell him that he is in a “safety zone.”
- Digital isolation: Under the pretext of “security,” they require the victim to perform two critical actions:
- Put your cell phone on airplane mode.
- Provide the contact number of a close person to supposedly “verify their identity.”
- Isolation and negotiation phase: While the victim waits with the phone disconnected, the criminals enter the “isolation” phase. They use the trusted number provided to contact the victim’s family or friends.
- Extortion: The perpetrators falsely identify themselves as subversive groups from neighboring countries and demand payment for the release of the “kidnapped” person.
- Closing of the transaction: Trading usually requires payments in cryptocurrencies or currencies. Payments are also made through mobile payment in national banks.
To give truth to the story, the criminals use ambient sounds, simulated screams and coercive narratives designed to generate an immediate emotional response and weaken the victim’s judgment.
The main objective is to induce the person to make quick payments for a supposed ransom that, in reality, does not correspond to a real event.
Added to this modality is the PNB’s surveillance of the use of cryptocurrencies as a means of payment. Officials have warned that criminal groups are trying to migrate their operations to the digital ecosystem, demanding assets through wallets or exchange platforms such as Binance.
It is important to note that extortions or kidnapping attempts in Venezuela, in exchange for cryptocurrencies, have happened for years and whose cases have been reported by CriptoNoticias. What is new now is the mutation in the actions of criminals.
The authorities emphasize that the success of these criminals lies in immediacy; Therefore, the first recommendation is stay calm and verify the real status of the family members involved before taking any financial action.
When receiving a call of this type, the instruction of the security forces is clear: do not make money transfers, do not deliver goods and, fundamentally, do not give in to psychological pressure.
The PNB urges you to document any relevant information, such as telephone numbers or digital wallet addresses, to formalize the complaint in person before the competent bodies.