The Mexican Tennis Federation announced that it had canceled a junior tournament in the state of Guanajuato after 10 players and a coach became victims of a “virtual kidnapping.”
Virtual kidnapping is a blackmail scheme that tricks victims into paying a ransom to release a family member they believe is being threatened with violence or death.
Unlike regular kidnappings, virtual kidnappers, some of whom are even in prison, do not kidnap anyone but try to deceive them to achieve their goals.
The J30 or Juniors 30 tournament, the lowest ranked tournament in the International Tennis Federation's rankings, is held in the city of Irapuato.
The players and coaches involved were from the central state of Queretaro and have all returned home, the Mexican tennis federation said.
