KDKA Investigates: 'Virtual Kidnappings' Taking Phone Scams To Terrifying New Level
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- When Ed Morrissey answered his cell phone two weeks ago he heard a woman screaming for help, then a man got on the line telling Morrissey he was holding his wife hostage.
"My heart was pumping out of my shirt," said Morrissey.
The caller told Morrissey to pay up or he would never see his wife again.
"They said how much money do you have? I said, 'Seriously, I have about $300 on me.' They said, 'You can't bury her for $300,'" Morrissey. "I was more frantic at that point."
It's called a "virtual kidnapping" and scammers are targeting people across the country. Callers say they have your spouse, sibling or child, demanding money or else.
"This is organized crime that's behind this, and it's very well thought out," says Supervisory Agent Keith Mularsky, of the FBI office in Pittsburgh.
At the FBI's cyber security section in Pittsburgh, they've helped identify and take down foreign criminal organizations that have brought phone scams to a new terrifying level.
Mularsky says the criminals scour the internet for personal information about their victims and use it to convince them their threats are real. And the terror tactic is working.
"They're making lots of money on this and they're successful because we're falling prey for this," Mularsky says.
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In Morrissey's case, they knew his nickname from his football playing days – "Blitz."
Morrissey: "You're not going to guess a nickname like that."
KDKA's Andy Sheehan: "And they're saying, 'Hey Blitz?'"
Morrissey: "We have your wife. We need money and we need it in a half hour. You do not talk to anybody. You do not contact any authorities."
Unprepared for the event, Morrissey's instinct kicked in. While continuing to talk with the caller, he wrote a note to his son standing nearby.
"I put 'Mom Kidnapped?' and I handed it to my son," Morrissey said.
Morrissey's son then called his mom and found out that she was safe at work. When the son got on the phone, the caller hung up. It was a textbook example of what you should do, delay the caller and verify the safety of your loved one.
Sheehan: "Quick thinking on your part."
Morrissey: "I don't know how I did it. It was a scary situation."