An elderly Yucca Valley woman was scammed out of $500 by a caller who falsely claimed he was holding her daughter hostage. According to a Sheriff’s report, the woman received a call about 12:30 p.m. Friday afternoon from a man who claimed he was holding her daughter and would release her for a ransom payment of $2500. The woman said she didn’t have that much money but could pay him $500. When she went to Wells Fargo Bank to withdraw the cash, the teller told her it was probably a scam, refused to transfer the money for her, and notified law enforcement. So the woman then went to Walmart where she transferred $500 via a money order to an account in Mexico. The woman then went home and contacted her daughter and discovered she had never been in danger. To avoid becoming a victim of this extortion scheme, managing editor Tami Roleff offers the following tips from the FBI…
The virtual kidnapping scam typically begins with a phone call saying your family member is being held captive. The FBI says if the call originates from Mexico or Puerto Rico, or isn’t from the victim’s phone, it may be a scam. Another clue it may be a scam is if the caller insists that ransom money is only accepted via a wire transfer service. The FBI suggests that if you receive a call like this, ask to speak to your loved one, or at the very least, ask the alleged kidnapper to describe your child or their vehicle. Try to contact your loved one—either by phone, text, or social media—to see if he or she is OK. And at your earliest opportunity, notify law enforcement.
For more tips:
https://www.ors.od.nih.gov/News/Pages/Beware-of-Virtual-Kidnapping-Ransom-Scam.aspx
