Extortionists allegedly targeted the family of Key Biscayne Council Member Nancy Stoner in a kidnapping scam in the latest brazen fraud attempt to touch the island. It is also the second fraud attempt involving a sitting council member in the last month.
The Oct. 12 incident caused tense moments for the Key Biscayne Police and for Stoner’s stepson, who lives in Washington, D.C. The rash of fraud and attempted fraud on the island is prompting police to organize an event to alert residents.
The stepson — whom the Independent is only identifying as J.D. for privacy reasons — contacted police at 2:36 a.m. to say he had received phone calls from his 80-year-old father’s phone number from someone who stated they were holding his father captive and were demanding money, according to an incident report provided by the Key Biscayne Police.
The phone caller said that if the payment was not fulfilled, they would kill the father — Stoner’s spouse, the report said. “The calls were made from his father’s phone number, and he could hear a person in the background crying,” the son told police.
J.D. tried to call his father without success, then called Key Biscayne police. Officers went to a known address of Stoner at an island condo unit to investigate a possible abduction. Calls from the security guard to the apartment went straight to voicemail.
When police entered the apartment, they found it vacant and under construction, according to the report.
The son provided the correct address and discovered the couple “in good health.” “They were understanding and grateful,” according to the report.
Key Biscayne Council Member Nancy Stoner at a meeting, July 1, 2025 (KBI Photo/TonyWinton)
The Key Biscayne police report did not say how much money was being demanded. Washington Metropolitan Police have opened an investigation, records show, but did not comment on the case.
Council Member Stoner declined to comment.
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What occurred to Stoner’s family is what the FBI calls cyber kidnapping, where sophisticated con artists use psychological and even artificial intelligence to provoke fear and desperation, a cybersecurity expert said.
The FBI has been warning the public of what it calls virtual kidnapping scams for nearly a decade. Scammers exploit technology such as caller ID spoofing, artificial intelligence voice spoofing, and social media to convince unwitting victims to pay money, an FBI warning explains.
“Scammers are known to exploit families who made missing person social media posts, claiming they had kidnapped the missing loved one,” the FBI says.
Ed Griffith, spokesman for State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle, said they have not prosecuted a virtual kidnapping ruse but have heard of variations, such as the “grandparents scam.” “Grandmom, can you help me? I’m in jail. There was an accident. Send money (in crypto or gift card) to my lawyer,” said Griffith, giving an example.
Another common scam, he said, is a phone call claiming a person will be arrested for missing jury duty unless a fine is immediately paid. A commissioner in Ocean Ridge, a beachside community in Palm Beach County, was recently targeted by such a scam.
Jesus Arias is an assistant teaching professor at FIU who teaches several graduate-level courses in cybersecurity. He says while AI or high-tech may be used in a scam, it’s really an application of psychological manipulation techniques “ where the modern con artists are excelling.
Jesus Arias, an assistant teaching professor at Florida International University who teaches classes on cybersecurity, said thieves are using AI and psychology in more sophisticated scams. (Photo/FIU)
“These actors are trying to leverage different platforms, but the ultimate denominator is they’re trying to prey on your emotions,” he said. “Most of the compromises are not necessarily technical in nature. They’re human-related. It really taps into human emotion, right?”
He said scamsters are using AI platforms to replicate a loved one’s voice and can obtain someone’s voice from their phone’s personal greeting. “One of the recommendations is, instead of you putting your voice mail with your voice, just use the default,” he said.
In this case, Arias said, families can share their locations on their phone or use another locator and safety app like Life360 to verify a loved one’s location.
The cyber kidnapping threat involving Stoner’s family is just the latest creative scam to hit the island over the year, but the pace has been increasing:
In October, someone pretending to be Council Member Oscar Sardiñas sent an email to the Key Biscayne Children and Education Foundation, which he heads, asking for $4,520 to be transferred. The stolen funds were reimbursed through QuickBooks.
In September, a 43-year-old woman reported to Key Biscayne police that she received an email claiming her cryptocurrency exchange had been compromised, persuading her to transfer $130,000 in crypto into a “cold wallet” controlled by the thieves. The investigation is ongoing, according to Police Chief Frank Sousa.
Also, in September, St. Christopher’s By-the-Sea Episcopal Church was allegedly bilked out of $519,000 in what police only describe as a “fraud-electronic computer.” Police have released hardly any details and say there has been no change in the investigation, Sousa said.
In May, a Key Biscayne woman reported she was swindled out of $80,000 in a cryptocurrency fraud after meeting a man on the Tinder dating app. Sousa said no developments in this case either.
In 2023, the Botanica Condominium was defrauded of more than $100,000 in a “phishing” attack, but police later were able to help recover most of the money.
In 2019, the Village itself was hit by a ransomware hacking attack that disrupted computer operations. The Village has not disclosed how much it might have paid, but it did convene an emergency council meeting over the incident.
Key Biscayne Police Chief Frank Sousa said his department will schedule an informational seminar for residents to learn how to avoid falling victim to a scam. He said the “commonality” between the scams is that the entity is always demanding personal information and money.
“Never send money or give out personal information to anyone, right, especially if they’re unknown,” he said. “And if someone wants to pressure you to act immediately, verify that.”
When it comes to seniors, this can be a “difficult message,” Sousa said.
Arias said a good rule of thumb is to “take a deep breath,” he said.
“No legitimate entity will demand immediate action,” he said. “If you are unsure, contact the supposed source directly through known, verified contact information.”
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JOHN PACENTI is a correspondent of the Key Biscayne Independent. John has worked for The Associated Press, the Palm Beach Post, Daily Business Review, and WPTV-TV.