victims, primarily from Mexico," he said. "I was convinced that this was real," she said."I was in bad shape for days," she said.However, many of the crimes go unreported, he said.S.Last week, a Texas woman became the first person in the nation to be indicted in connection with a virtual kidnapping scheme.In the hours that followed, the kidnappers talked her into wiring ,000 for ransom. It was a scam.The caller who rang Valerie Sobel&China Network Cabinet39;s cellphone had a horrifying mesغير مجاز مي باشدe: "We have Simone's finger. Only later did she find out there had been no kidnapping. Smith was victimized. Smith said he received a cellphone call about two years ago while driving on a freeway..The indictment alleges that Aغير مجاز مي باشدta and her partners used Mexican telephone numbers to call people in Texas, California and Idaho."The FBI began investigating a spurt of cases in 2013."There was a woman .By comparison, actual kidnappings for ransom are rare.In Sobel's case, she believes the phony kidnappers obtained her daughter's voice, perhaps from her voicemail, and then altered it.C.

A multiagency probe dubbed Operation Hotel Tango identified at least 80 people in several states who had received such calls, although not all sent money, said Gene Kowel, acting special agent in charge of the FBI's criminal division in Los Angeles. She is facing up to 20 years in prison for each of 10 counts if convicted.. screaming 'Daddy, Daddy help me.Even Los Angeles Police Department Sgt.Although he didn't recognize the voice, Smith said he couldn't take the risk that it was his daughter."It's fair to say there have been thousands of calls made to U.He talked the phony kidnappers' ransom demands down from million to a mere 0, although in the end he never paid. O."If you get a phone call like this, # immediately hang up," Hayes said."She called me Mom (and said) 'I'm terrified, please help,' " Sobel recalled.On Tuesday, police and federal agents warned that so-called virtual kidnappings are on the rise, and dozens of people already have found themselves terrorised into giving money to con artists. "Contact that loved one. Do you want to see the rest of her in a body bag?"Then came the sound of her daughter, screaming in terror.In the fake kidnappings, the callers demand that the victims remain on the phone so they don't have a chance to call their loved ones, officials said.

Los Angeles police alone have received more than 250 reports of such crimes in the past two years, and people have wired more than 0,000, said Capt. In others, the crooks may use social media to obtain names of children and other facts that can be used to frighten specific victims. While on the phone with them, he managed to flag down Torrance, California, police officers who were able to call and verify that his children were safe at school.Fear for a child's safety can override skepticism, authorities said. Yanette Rodriguez Aغير مجاز مي باشدta, 34, of Houston is charged with wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to launder money. William Hayes, who commands the Robbery Homicide Division. The callers threatened to "put a bullet in the back of her head" if he didn't pay a ransom, Smith said.. They allegedly fooled people into giving them tens of thousands of dollars either through money drops or wire transfers.In some cases, the scammers choose area codes and make cold calls, hoping to catch an unsuspecting victim, officials said. Los Angeles police typically receive 10 to 15 cases a year, including kidnappings performed by other family members and acquaintances, Hayes said. I'm in a van being taken somewhere,' " Smith said

The United Nations described Myanmar’s crackdown as ethnic cleansing, which Myanmar denies.But the United Nations said necessary safeguards for the refugees were still missing. Video of the camp shows long, plywood houses set on a rocky field and surrounded by a wire mesh fence topped with barbed wire.“We would like to be part of the process and discussions to ensure the repatriations are voluntary, safe and sustainable and that any returns are in line with international standards,” said Caroline Gluck, UNHCR’s senior public information officer, in Cox’s Bazar.Maungdaw, Myanmar: The United Nations on Wednesday called on Myanmar to give aid agencies unhindered access to camps it has built for tens of thousands of Muslim Rohingya refugees before they can return after fleeing Myanmar military operations in 2017. Myanmar says it has set up two reception centres and the temporary Taung Pyo Letwe camp to receive the first arrivals.“They (UNHCR) are already working with us.Late on Tuesday, US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the delay in the repatriations was a good idea and Washington was concerned about a lack of access for UN organisations.He said Bangladesh was working towards signing a memorandum of understanding with UNHCR for the repatriation and it could take “at least two months” to start the return.

But a UNHCR spokesperson in Bangladesh told Reuters the agency had not been involved “in the bilateral discussions on repatriations or signed any agreements”.“Until the safety and wellbeing of any child returning to data center cabinet factory Myanmar can be guaranteed, talk of repatriation is premature,” UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Justin Forsyth said in a statement.Many in Buddhist-majority Myanmar regard the Rohingya community as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh..“They also have to check with the UNHCR about whether it’s voluntary,” Minister of International Cooperation Kyaw Tin said.Myanmar and Bangladesh agreed earlier this month to complete a voluntary repatriation of the refugees in two years.Bangladesh on Tuesday delayed the repatriation of the largely stateless Rohingya to Myanmar as the process of compiling and verifying the list of people to be sent back was incomplete..“They need a lot of time to fill out the forms and to determine if they really want to come back.”A Bangladesh official who participated in the talks with Myanmar told Reuters that the UNHCR would be involved in the process to “ensure the repatriations would be voluntary”.

The UN Refugee Agency UNHCR said earlier “there are continued restrictions on access for aid agencies, the media and other independent observers” in Myanmar.Filling out formsMyanmar officials told a news conference on Tuesday that Bangladesh was not ready to send back the refugees as scheduled because the potential returnees hadn’t completed the forms Myanmar provided attesting to their former residency in Myanmar.The plan has sparked fears in refugee camps in Bangladesh that people may be forced to return despite a lack of guarantees around their security.We want to make sure that the return is safe, voluntary, dignified and sustainable,” said the official, who declined to be named as he was not authorized to speak to the media.The UNHCR called on Myanmar “to allow the necessary unhindered humanitarian access in Rakhine State and create conditions for a genuine and lasting solution”.An international delegation advising Myanmar toured the Taung Pyo Letwe refugee camp outside the town of Maungdaw near the Bangladesh border.More than 688,000 Muslim Rohingya and a few hundreds Hindu Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh since Aug 25 last year after the Myanmar military cracked down in the northern part of Rakhine state, amid witness reports of killings, looting and rape, in response to militant attacks on security forces.