Imagine getting a phone call at work, a screaming man on the other line telling you he has your child and will kill her unless you pay a ransom.
Your child is really safe at school, but you don't know that until you've already handed over all your jewelry and money.
It's called virtual kidnapping, and it's become an alarming crime trend in Mexico City, The New York Times reports.
Experts say tens of thousands of virtual kidnappings have been reported in recent months, and about a third of those result in actual money changing hands. In a city where kidnappings are a major problem, you can see how people are easily duped into believing it's the real thing.
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