A team of young tennis players — all minors — and their coach were victims of a virtual kidnapping ahead of a junior tennis tournament in Mexico. 

On Wednesday, Oct. 30, the Mexican Tennis Federation announced that an upcoming juniors tournament being held in the central state of Guanajuato was canceled “after 10 players and a coach were deprived of their freedom this morning,” per a statement shared by the organization on X (formerly Twitter).

Per the release translated from Spanish, the Federation said the cancellation was “due to the unfortunate events that occurred,” claiming that the players and their coach “were extorted.”

The FBI defines virtual kidnapping as a fraudulent scheme in which the scammer pretends to be holding someone for ransom in order to extort money from loved ones who believe they are in danger. 

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Federal authorities define the victims in these cases as the people scammed into paying a quick ransom to free loved ones who are not actually in peril. Such schemes have been going on for at least two decades, per the FBI, which has tracked some virtual kidnappings in the U.S. back to Mexican prisoners specifically targeting Spanish speakers.

According to the Associated Press, the Juniors 30 tournament — the organization’s lowest-ranked tournament — had been slated for play in Irapuato, Guanajuato, a city lying along a river of the same name and known for its agriculture and livestock-raising. 

After being “informed of the events,” the Federation said that they “have worked in coordination with the competent authorities, who have indicated that what happened does not represent a problem of public insecurity.”

Per the release, the Federation added that both players and coach — hailing from the small neighboring state of Querétaro — have since returned home and are said to be “in good health.”