OSC Guardian - Safety Advice

OSC GUARDIAN - SAFETY ADVICE
www.OramSecurity.com

Monday, July 18, 2011

The Real Price of Virtual Kidnappings

This is very interesting and has the possibility of becoming a real threat herein the US.  
By Matthew Harwood
A man travels to Mexico on business. During his trip, his wife receives a call from her husband’s cell phone. Upon answering, she hears screaming. Then the voice of a stranger comes onto the phone, saying the screams were those of her husband, whom he has kidnapped. He demands a money transfer of $1,000 within five hours, adding that if he doesn’t get the payment, he will kill her husband. A few expletives are thrown in for emphasis.

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There are ways to avoid being the victim of a virtual kidnapping scheme, say experts. One of the first and most important steps is to practice good cell-phone hygiene. Jaime Garcia, security manager for Mexico and Texas for the automotive parts maker Delphi, advises employees to go through their cell phones and eliminate any generic names.
 
“There should be no ‘home,’ ‘office,’ ‘babe,’ ‘honey,’ whatever,” he says. That way, a virtual kidnapper can’t just steal a phone and hit one of those contacts to make the ransom call. Garcia suggests that travelers clear their calling history daily so that a thief won’t be able to guess by the frequency of calls that a particular number is a loved one or an employer.
 
He also advises employees with the ability to password protect their cell phone or smartphone to do so. Virtual kidnappers can’t access phone numbers or personal information if they can’t get at it. And they need that type of information to carry out their scheme.