Utah parents warn of ‘virtual kidnapping’

Stock image, St. George News

OGDEN — An Ogden mother and father have a serious warning for parents everywhere: beware of a scam called, “virtual kidnapping.”

Last Wednesday, father Jeff Weber was at work driving his work vehicle, a hazmat truck when his cell phone rang from an unknown number. He did not answer. But then it rang again, the same unknown number. He answered it.

“I heard a young girl crying saying ‘daddy, daddy I’m scared,’ then the kid voice went away and a man came on and told me he kidnapped my daughter and if I ever wanted to see her again I would not tell anybody or hang up,” explained Weber. “The guy sounded serious.”

Weber asked him questions about his daughter like what is she wearing, and let me talk with her again. The man on the other end of the line refused to have the girl speak with him on the phone again.

“It scared me to death. The guy says, ‘you know I’ll kill her. You’ll never see her again. You’ll be paying for a funeral.’”

Weber did what he could to try to discretely get ahold of his wife, LeeAnn Weber, to confirm their 13-year-old daughter was safe at school. Weber happened to be at work so he quietly told his co-workers to call.

It was pretty tense. I was trying to use a phone. I couldn’t even text my wife. The secretary let me borrow her phone and I couldn’t even text message. Like, I was shaking so bad I couldn’t push the buttons. It was so bad.”

Read the full story here:  Fox13Now.com.

Written by DANICA LAWRENCE, Fox13Now.com

Copyright © 2017, KSTU. A Tribune broadcasting station

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