Three Boys Kidnapped Using Mega-Popular Mobile Shooting Game
Three boys who loved the faux violence of one of the internet’s most popular battle royale shooting games were lured away from their families by a criminal network promising them glory and riches if they traded the make-believe for Mexico’s real-life world of violence.
Last Saturday in the town of Oaxaca, in western Mexico, the boys ranging in age from 11 to 14 were rescued after being enticed by Whatsapp messages on a group chat associated with the game Free Fire. The kids were allegedly targeted as potential cartel members due to their apparent interest in weapons.
One of the boys even went so far as to write his parents a note telling them not to worry; that he’d be sending home money soon, after having been hired to serve as a cartel spy for the equivalent of about $770 per month.