{"id":37141,"date":"2025-11-07T11:12:12","date_gmt":"2025-11-07T11:12:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/37141\/"},"modified":"2025-11-07T11:12:12","modified_gmt":"2025-11-07T11:12:12","slug":"council-member-stoners-family-targeted-in-cyber-kidnapping-scam-as-key-biscayne-fraud-cases-multiply","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/37141\/","title":{"rendered":"Council Member Stoner\u2019s family targeted in cyber kidnapping scam as Key Biscayne fraud cases multiply"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The Oct. 12 incident caused tense moments for the Key Biscayne Police and for Stoner\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

The stepson\u00a0 \u2014 whom the Independent is only identifying as J.D. for privacy reasons \u2014 contacted police at 2:36 a.m. to say he had received phone calls from his 80-year-old father\u2019s 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The phone caller said that if the payment was not fulfilled, they would kill the father \u2014 Stoner\u2019s spouse, the report said. \u201cThe calls were made from his father\u2019s phone number, and he could hear a person in the background crying,\u201d the son told police.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

When police entered the apartment, they found it vacant and under construction, according to the report.<\/p>\n

The son provided the correct address and discovered the couple \u201cin good health.\u201d \u201cThey were understanding and grateful,\u201d according to the report.<\/p>\n

\"\"Key Biscayne Council Member Nancy Stoner at a meeting, July 1, 2025 (KBI Photo\/TonyWinton)<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Council Member Stoner declined to comment.<\/p>\n

Never miss a story! Sign up for our FREE newsletter<\/p>\n

What occurred to Stoner\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cScammers are known to exploit families who made missing person social media posts, claiming they had kidnapped the missing loved one,\u201d the FBI says.<\/p>\n

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 \u201cgrandparents scam.\u201d \u201cGrandmom, can you help me? I\u2019m in jail. There was an accident. Send money (in crypto or gift card) to my lawyer,\u201d said Griffith, giving an example.<\/p>\n

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>, a beachside community in Palm Beach County, was recently targeted by such a scam.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Jesus Arias<\/a> 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\u2019s really an application of psychological manipulation techniques \u201c where the modern con artists are excelling.<\/p>\n

\"\"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)<\/p>\n

\u201cThese actors are trying to leverage different platforms, but the ultimate denominator is they\u2019re trying to prey on your emotions,\u201d he said. \u201cMost of the compromises are not necessarily technical in nature. They\u2019re human-related. It really taps into human emotion, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

He said scamsters are using AI platforms to replicate a loved one\u2019s voice and can obtain someone\u2019s voice from their phone\u2019s personal greeting. \u201cOne of the recommendations is, instead of you putting your voice mail with your voice, just use the default,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s location.<\/p>\n

The cyber kidnapping threat involving Stoner\u2019s family is just the latest creative scam to hit the island over the year, but the pace has been increasing:<\/p>\n

In October, someone pretending to be Council Member Oscar Sardi\u00f1as<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

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 \u201ccold wallet\u201d controlled by the thieves. The investigation is ongoing, according to Police Chief Frank Sousa.<\/p>\n

Also, in September, St. Christopher\u2019s By-the-Sea Episcopal Church was allegedly<\/a> bilked out of $519,000 in what police only describe as a \u201cfraud-electronic computer.\u201d Police have released hardly any details and say there has been no change in the investigation, Sousa said.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

In 2023, the Botanica Condominium was defrauded of more than $100,000 in a \u201cphishing\u201d attack,\u00a0 but police later were able to help recover most of the money<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In 2019, the Village itself was hit by a ransomware hacking attack<\/a> 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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 \u201ccommonality\u201d between the scams is that the entity is always demanding personal information and money.<\/p>\n

\u201cNever send money or give out personal information to anyone, right, especially if they\u2019re unknown,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd if someone wants to pressure you to act immediately, verify that.\u201d<\/p>\n

When it comes to seniors, this can be a \u201cdifficult message,\u201d Sousa said.<\/p>\n

Arias said a good rule of thumb is to \u201ctake a deep breath,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo legitimate entity will demand immediate action,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you are unsure, contact the supposed source directly through known, verified contact information.\u201d<\/p>\n

Invest in Local News for Your Town. Your Gift is tax-deductible<\/a><\/p>\n

\"John<\/a><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Extortionists allegedly targeted the family of Key Biscayne Council Member Nancy Stoner in a kidnapping scam in the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":37142,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[8247,589,21523,1387,9269,6008,123,125,124,25521,22688,11176],"class_list":["post-37141","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-miami","tag-cybersecurity","tag-featured","tag-frank-sousa","tag-fraud","tag-katherine-fernandez-rundle","tag-kidnapping","tag-miami","tag-miami-headlines","tag-miami-news","tag-nancy-stoner","tag-oscar-sardinas","tag-scam"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37141","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37141"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37141\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37142"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37141"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37141"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37141"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}