“The arrest of six members of a family running an extortion gang in Buenos Aires has drawn attention to a new trend in extortion in Argentina, known regionally as ‘virtual kidnappings.’ La Nacion reported these extortion networks gather information on potential victims through techniques such as running false promotions on the street where they gather names and telephone numbers, or by gleaning it from social media. The gang then calls the victims, usually in the early hours of the morning, and tells the person answering the phone a family member has been kidnapped. In the background another gang member cries, screams and pleads for them to send the ransom.”
Source: Argentina’s Extortion Gangs Move to ‘Virtual’ Kidnappings