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The fake kidnapping scam: crying in the background and a Pix right now

A call or voice message with someone crying says a relative was kidnapped. The criminal demands a Pix at once and tells you not to hang up. Reach the relative another way.

Also called: fake kidnapping, virtual kidnapping.

How it works

  1. The criminal calls or sends audio with someone screaming or crying in the background.
  2. They wait for you to say a name, and use it from then on.
  3. They demand a Pix or deposit at once and tell you to speak to nobody.

Where it usually starts: phone call, messaging app.

How it arrives on Bipe. Simulation with sample people and messages.

How to spot it

  • They tell you not to hang up and not to call anyone.
  • The crying voice does not say its own name.
  • The deadline is minutes.

What to do

  • Do not say names. Hang up and call the relative, or ask someone to call.
  • Do not pay.
  • Call 190.

How Bipe helps

Each item shows where it stands on iPhone and Android.

Is that really Mom?

If the contact saved as Mum has a different verified name, the app asks if it is the same person.

iPhone: Coming soon · Android: Coming soon

Message requests

People who are not in your contacts arrive as a request. A message from a new number does not land straight in your chat list.

iPhone: In the test app · Android: In development

Scam warnings

A warning shows under a message that looks like a scam, such as a rushed Pix, a new number or a boleto. It is on by default, with nothing to set up.

iPhone: In the test app · Android: In development

What Bipe does not solve here

It is almost always a phone call, outside Bipe. On Bipe, people not in your contacts arrive as a request, and the warning shows on a rushed request for money.

Bipe only protects the chats that happen in Bipe. If someone in the family still uses another app, a scammer can write to them there.

Who describes this scam

Official pages with the scam's script and what to do.

Other common scams

Scams in Brazil in numbers

Where these numbers come from

Researched on 13 October 2026. We only use numbers that have a source. Surveys by a company or a private association are marked as such.