Curtis Indyke said a late-night caller appeared to use his father’s number while threatening his parents and demanding immediate payment.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — A Scottsdale man says he sent more than $4,000 to scammers after receiving a late-night call that appeared to come from his father’s phone and hearing a stranger claim that his parents were being held at gunpoint.
Curtis Indyke told Arizona’s Family that he was asleep when the call came in around 11:30 p.m. His father lives in Virginia, where it was nearly 2:30 a.m. Indyke said he answered because the incoming number appeared to belong to his father, but instead heard an unfamiliar man who claimed to have both of Indyke’s parents and threatened to shoot them unless money was sent.
Indyke said he remained on the call while texting 911 in Scottsdale to report what he believed was a hostage situation in Virginia. As the threats continued, he sent more than $4,000 through Apple Pay to two different phone numbers. The callers also demanded another $1,000 in what Indyke described as cryptocurrency gift cards, but he said his bank blocked that attempted purchase.
When the call ended, Indyke tried calling his father back but initially received no answer, which increased his concern that the threats might be real. Police in Virginia later went to his parents’ home to conduct a welfare check and found them safe. No kidnapping had occurred, according to the report.
The incident fits a type of extortion scheme commonly called virtual kidnapping. The FBI has warned that scammers use threats and deception to convince people that a relative has been abducted even though no kidnapping has taken place. The schemes are designed to create fear and urgency, giving victims little time to verify whether their loved one is actually in danger.
Dawn Alexander, a network specialist with AARP Arizona, told Arizona’s Family that scammers often try to push victims into a heightened emotional state so they react before checking the story. Caller ID spoofing can make an incoming call appear to originate from a trusted person or organization even when it does not. In Indyke’s case, the call appeared to come from his father’s phone number.
Federal officials have also warned that emerging technology can make family-emergency scams more convincing. The Federal Trade Commission says artificial intelligence can be used to clone a person’s voice from a short audio sample. The FBI has separately warned about criminals manipulating publicly available photos and other media for use in virtual kidnapping schemes. There is no confirmed indication that a cloned voice or altered image was used in Indyke’s case.
Indyke said the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of “Today” co-host Savannah Guthrie, crossed his mind during the threatening call and contributed to his fear that the situation could be real. Authorities have investigated Guthrie’s separate disappearance as a kidnapping-for-ransom case. Indyke told Arizona’s Family that the local case made the possibility of a kidnapping feel especially immediate to him.
The FBI has advised people who receive virtual kidnapping demands to try to verify a loved one’s safety independently rather than relying on information supplied by the caller. Authorities say scammers often attempt to keep targets on the phone, prevent contact with the supposed victim and demand rapid payment before the deception can be uncovered.
Indyke said the more than $4,000 he sent was still listed as pending when he spoke with Arizona’s Family. He planned to file a fraud claim after the transactions cleared in hopes of recovering the money. The report did not identify the people behind the calls, and no arrests or criminal charges in connection with the scam had been announced.
Author note: Last updated October 26, 2026.