Overview
- Barbarossa received a late-night call on Thursday in which a man claimed to be one of her sons and said he had been robbed, a common opening line in virtual-kidnapping scams.
- She immediately recognized the voice was not her son's, refused to cooperate, insulted the caller and was not defrauded.
- Barbarossa said the callers used the publicly known names of her children to make the lie more believable and she posted the episode on Instagram to alert followers.
- Virtual-kidnapping scams typically target people at night, rely on public personal details to create urgency, and seek money or sensitive information by provoking panic.
- Her public account, picked up by national outlets, serves as a warning that victims should stay calm, listen to the caller, verify with the family member through known channels and contact authorities if needed.