Gang’s €10,000 virtual abduction plot foiled by police

POLICE in Zaragoza have foiled a plot by a gang to extort €10,000 from a businessman by falsely claiming over the phone that his son had been kidnapped.
Detectives say a Chile-based gang was behind the scam and are warning people to be vigilant.
Specifically they say the calls will often come from a number starting +56, the international dialing code for the South American country.
Victims are often chosen at random, say police, and the gang adopt an aggressive manner, even pretending that the kidnapped person is screaming for help in the background.
Known as virtual abduction, tips to avoid becoming a victim of this extortion scam can be found on the National Police website.