The FBI and southern Arizona agencies are warning the public about a new and concerning twist on "virtual kidnapping for ransom scams," where criminals are convincing U.S. hotel guests to cross the border into Mexico.

Virtual kidnappings happen when a victim is told over the phone that his or her family member has been kidnapped. Then, via deception and threats, criminals convince victims to pay a ransom. The criminals also threaten harm to the family member if law enforcement gets involved.

According to law enforcement, no one is physically kidnapped in these schemes. However, they are often traumatic for everyone involved. On average, a family sends thousands of dollars to scammers before they get help.

But in a new twist extortionists are calling rooms at U.S. hotels near the border with Mexico and telling guests that the hotel is surrounded by armed enforcers.

The "kidnappers" convince guests to leave their hotels and drive to hotels in Mexico. They then convince the victims to video call them and take a screenshot.

Lance Leising, supervisory special agent of the FBI Violent Crimes Task Force in Phoenix, says the criminals will also ask hotel guests for certain information, like contact information of a family or friend, or their place of employment. The criminals will then send the screenshot to the victim’s family, convince them that their loved one is kidnapped, and have them pay a ransom. Or, in the case of a victim's employer, the criminal will call that employer and say they have kidnapped the employee.

Authorities note that the victims are crossing into Mexico on their own, but are doing so under the fear of imminent harm. The victims have said the threats feel frighteningly real.

In one case, a victim was convinced to stay in a hotel room for multiple nights. In another, the victim’s co-workers armed themselves inside a hotel room thinking there were armed criminals outside, who were after them.

The Nogales Police Department investigated both incidents and safely located the victims.

In cases where a hotel guest is told the building is surrounded, Mr. Leising says potential victims should remain calm, look out their window or call the front desk to verify a credible threat.

The goal in receiving these types of calls is proving the claim is false.

"Nine out of 10 times you will find their story falls apart and then they move to the next victim," Mr. Leising said.

Between 2013 and 2015, investigators tracked down virtual kidnapping calls from Mexico. Authorities said most all of these schemes originated from within Mexican prisons.

In the latest twist, the FBI says criminals may believe they have more control over the victims once they lure them into Mexico and think it could be easier for them to further extort the victims or their families.

The FBI believes most virtual kidnappings for ransom remain unreported but still wants to raise awareness about this scheme and inform individuals so they can avoid becoming a victim.

Mr. Leising said it's still critical for people to report these calls so they can try to hone down a location. Sometimes people realize they're being scammed and hang up, but some may be too embarrassed to report the scam.

Independent Newsmedia reached out to Nogales police about how this twist has affected the department.

If you get this type of call, whether you think it’s an extortion scheme or a legitimate kidnapping, contact law enforcement immediately.

Look for these possible indicators:

Multiple successive phone calls

Calls do not come from the kidnapped victim’s phone

Callers go to great lengths to keep you on the phone

Callers prevent you from calling or locating the “kidnapped” victim

Ransom money is only accepted via wire transfer service

If you receive a phone call from someone who demands payment of a ransom for a kidnapped victim, the following should be considered:

Stay calm

Slow the situation down

Avoid sharing information about you or your family during the call

Listen carefully to the voice of the kidnapped victim

Attempt to call or determine the location of the “kidnapped” victim

Request to speak to the victim; ask for “proof of life”

Ask questions only the victim would know

Request the kidnapped victim call back from his/her cell phone

Try to use another means of contacting the family member that has allegedly been kidnapped