I am dubious of the kidnapper/ransom scenario. I'm sure there have been kidnappings/ransoms over the years and I may have been living under a rock these last few decades, but the last high-profile kidnapping case I can remember is Patty Hearst (gosh I'm showing my age!) Even the Jon Benet case was not a kidnapping even though there was a ransom note. I believe that with the advanced investigative techniques we have now, cameras everywhere, trace DNA, device tracking, license plate readers, etc. criminals feel it is just too difficult to pull off a high profile kidnapping with ransom. Perhaps crypto/bitcoin has changed the scale somewhat, and has made it easier for kidnappers to receive funds. I don't really know enough about it to say.
Data has been successfully "kidnapped" and held for ransom recently, but this is quite different and less detectable than taking a human being, holding them somewhere while waiting for the ransom without being detected, and then releasing them once the ransom is paid. I suspect the note is a hoax.
Data has been successfully "kidnapped" and held for ransom recently, but this is quite different and less detectable than taking a human being, holding them somewhere while waiting for the ransom without being detected, and then releasing them once the ransom is paid. I suspect the note is a hoax.
