Policy & Ethicsdeepfakessocial mediaextortionpublic safety
FBI Warns About AI-Enabled Virtual Kidnapping
8.0
The FBI issued a public service announcement on December 5, 2025, warning of a new variation of "virtual kidnapping" scams that use AI to alter publicly available photos as fake proof-of-life to extort ransoms. Scammers contact victims by text, demand cryptocurrency or gift-card payments, and send manipulated images or videos; the FBI advises code words, cautious social sharing, and verifying claims before paying.
Key Points
- 1Report details scammers using AI to alter social-media photos as fake 'proof-of-life' evidence
- 2Enables convincing extortion via text messages demanding cryptocurrency or gift-card ransom payments
- 3Advises creating verification code words, limiting online personal posts, and verifying claims before paying
Scoring Rationale
Official FBI alert increases urgency and provides actionable guidance, though the tactic is an incremental evolution of deepfake scams.
Sources
Public references used for this report.
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