The Federal Bureau of Investigation reports criminals are taking photos of loved ones off social media, altering them and sending them as proof-of-life photos of a kidnapping for ransom.

The FBI said the criminals usually contact the victim through text message claiming they kidnapped their loved one and demanding a ransom for their release. It said the criminal will often express significant violence against the loved one if the ransom isn’t paid.

The criminal will then send a photo or video of the loved one, which upon close inspection, often is inaccurate compared to confirmed photos of the loved one, the FBI said. Criminals will sometimes send photos with a timed message so the victim has less time to confirm the photo’s authenticity.

The FBI recommends people avoid these scams by being mindful of scammers when posting missing person information online, not giving out personal information to strangers while traveling, establishing a code word with loved ones to verify authenticity, screenshot or record proof-of-life photos and attempting to contact the loved one.

Incidents involving the scam can be reported to the FBI’s internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.