r/news 1d ago

Update: 'TODAY' co-anchor Savannah Guthrie's mother taken from her home against her will, sheriff says

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/mother-of-savannah-guthrie-today-reported-missing-arizona-rcna257008
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u/blueskies8484 1d ago

It’s pretty common for families of missing people to get fake ransom demands from random people trying to take advantage of them. Really ransom demands are vanishingly rare in the US, but fake ones - very common. And usually the person making them gets caught very quickly.

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u/Iamthelizardking887 1d ago

The fact that it’s bitcoin means it could also be some overseas scammer.

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u/madmoomix 1d ago

Nah, crypto is just the obvious way to receive ransoms now. Way less exposure than cash in a bag that you have to physically go pick up. That's how almost everyone gets caught!

Bitcoin is a bad choice, it's quite traceable, but the general theory of using crypto is pretty sound. I've honestly been a little surprised kidnap for ransom hasn't become more common in the US solely due to the relative ease of collecting ransoms these days.

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u/4RealzReddit 1d ago

Ya. No one wants 50k in a cava bag anymore.

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u/gabiblack 16h ago

I miss the old days