Criminal Actors Leverage Rideshare Vehicles to Abduct Minors

The FBI warns the public and rideshare companies of criminal actors leveraging rideshare vehicles to abduct minor victims. While these incidents are rare, the FBI is providing notification due to the high impact of such events. Further, during the COVID-19 pandemic, it appeared these actors believed rideshare services afforded more privacy from potential witnesses than traditional modes of transportation, with mask and social distancing requirements enhancing secrecy.

Methodology

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, law enforcement received several reports of rideshare services being used to facilitate child abduction. While other modes of transportation, such as public busses, were used during the pandemic, the privacy of rideshare services allowed criminal actors to obfuscate potential witness identification and afforded them direct transportion. Further, while using rideshare vehicles, threat actors were less likely to be apprehended when compared to other modes of transportation or facilities. Criminal actors benefitted from past mask requirements and social distancing in rideshare vehicles and may choose to continue wearing masks as it provides additional identity concealment.

Representative Examples

The FBI identified instances of criminal actors leveraging rideshare vehicles to abduct minor victims. The following are illustrative, open-source examples:

• In April 2022, a 16-year-old boy requested a rideshare trip from Portland, Texas, to Rockport, Texas. During his ride, the rideshare driver allegedly offered him a drink and the boy later woke up inside of a home in Sinton, Texas, approximately 20 miles in the opposite direction of Rockport. The boy walked to a nearby home and called for help. Law enforcement later arrested the rideshare driver.
• In February 2021, an adult male in Colorado allegedly met a minor victim on social media and groomed her to send child sexual exploitation material (CSAM). The male flew to California and allegedly persuaded the minor to sneak out of her residence at 2:00 a.m. to enter a rideshare vehicle. The rideshare vehicle transported them to the airport, where they boarded a plane to Washington, DC. During their travel, the adult male allegedly forced the victim to pretend to be mute and wear a wig to avoid detection. The victim was recovered and police apprehended her abductor at the airport during their layover. The adult male was charged with child abduction, soliciting CSAM from a minor, and meeting the minor for sex.
• In February 2022, in Mexico City, a father was traveling in a rideshare vehicle with his 7-year-old son when he asked the driver to stop at a flower stand. When the father exited the vehicle to make a purchase, the rideshare driver allegedly drove off with the boy. The boy found a way to call his mother and provided his location. The parents recovered the boy safely, chased, and eventually stopped the rideshare driver from escaping, where he was arrested.

Victim Reporting

If you observe suspicious behavior involving child abduction, please report the incident to law enforcement immediately. If you or someone you know is a child/young adult and the target or victim of an abduction, which involved the use of a rideshare vehicle or other mode of transportation:

• Contact your local law enforcement agency or your local FBI field office (contact information can be found at www.fbi.gov)
• File a complaint online with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.IC3.gov
• Victims are encouraged to keep all original documentation, emails, text messages, and logs of communication with the subject. Do not delete anything before law enforcement is able to review it; and
• Tell law enforcement everything about the online encounters - it may be embarrassing for the parent or child, but it is necessary to find the offender. Be as descriptive as possible in the complaint form by providing:
  • Name and/or user name of the subject
  • Email addresses and telephone numbers used by the subject
  • Web sites used by the subject
  • Description of all interaction with the subject

It is helpful for law enforcement to have as much information as possible to use while investigating these incidents; however, it is not required in order to receive assistance. The FBI produced this public service announcement to increase awareness of rideshare services used as a method by criminal actors in targeting minors for child abduction.