A fake kidnapping is a kidnapping that has been staged by the victim.

Notable incidents

*Brazilian soccer player Somália - on January 7, 2011, Somália claimed he had been kidnapped at gunpoint before being robbed. CCTV footage later proved that he was simply late for training, and fabricated the story in order to circumvent the club's 40% wage drop in case of tardiness. Somália was charged with filing a false police report and on January 19, 2011, agreed to a deal offered by prosecutors to donate R$22,000 (approximately U.S.$13,000) to the victims of the then- recent floods in Rio de Janeiro, in order to avoid a possible prison sentence and criminal record. * Dar Heatherington (born 1963) - a politician who claimed to have been abducted in

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...

in 2003. *Joanna Grenside - an

aerobics Aerobics is a form of physical exercise that combines rhythmic aerobic exercise with stretching and strength training routines with the goal of improving all elements of fitness ( flexibility, muscular strength, and cardio-vascular fitness). ...

teacher from Harpenden, England; staged her disappearance a few days before

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

1992. She suffered from the eating disorder

bulimia Bulimia nervosa, also known as simply bulimia, is an eating disorder characterized by binge eating followed by purging or fasting, and excessive concern with body shape and weight. The aim of this activity is to expel the body of calories eaten ...

and sought to avoid the overindulgence of food that went on at Christmas parties. *Fairlie Arrow - a singer; claimed abduction in

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in 1991. Joanna Grenside was working in Queensland at the time, leading to the possibility that it inspired her own event later. *Karol Sanchez - a 16-year-old girl; had two young adult men that were friends of hers stage her abduction on December 16, 2019 around midnight in the

Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

, when she and her mother were walking down a street. There, the two men "kidnapped" Sanchez in front of her horrified mother, who was under the impression that her daughter's "abduction" was real. Karol's mother attempted to fight the two men in attempt to rescue her, but was shoved aside by the men before driving off with Karol in their posse. Karol was found safe and unharmed the next day where she confessed that she was never in actual danger due to her abduction being staged. Sanchez's motivations stemmed from her mother's intentions to move their family to Honduras, as the teenager had no wish to leave her old life behind.

References

{{reflist Kidnapping