Kidnapping in the Philippines: Lose your child with just one call!

Kidnapping in the Philippines: Lose your child with just one call!

According to philstar.com, Globe Telecom is warning its customers to be wary of a new modus operandi involving a "Globe employee" calling unsuspecting victims to turn off their phones for network updates.

"Globe issued the warning following a report of an attempt by unscrupulous individuals to extract a ransom payment for a kidnapping that never happened.

According to the unwitting Globe customer, she received a call from someone claiming to be with the company. “He asked me to shutdown my phone for two hours for 3G update to take place. As I was rushing for a meeting, I did not question, but just shut down my cell phone. After 45 minutes I felt very suspicious since the caller did not even introduce his name. I quickly turned on my cell phone and saw several missed calls from my family members and the others were from the number that had called me earlier.”

“I called my parents and I was shocked that they sounded very worried asking me whether I am safe.  My parents told me that they had received a call from someone claiming that they had me with them and asking for money to let me free. The call was so real and my parents even heard ‘my voice’ crying out loud asking for help. My father was already at the bank waiting for next call to process the transfer,” the Globe customer said".

Children, teens and nannies with mobile phones may unwittingly fall prey to this and do make for an easy target. Loved ones must be taught to not entertain unknown numbers or to be discerning of unknown callers. Also, if they feel that something is wrong, that it is best to clarify with their parents or with a Globe customer service representative.

In the event that you or your child feel suspicious of an unknown caller or texter, make it a point to take down the number, to screen cap the message or to record the call. Several mobile units these days allow the recording of calls, so it's best to go through your device's manual to find out how you can do this.

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