Kidnap Scam

It’s hard to ignore a message that someone you care about is in danger.

Who Is It Targeting: Victims with younger family members

What Is It: Kidnap extortion scam

What Are They After: The caller uses his best scary voice to tell you the horrific news: your grandson has been kidnapped and it’s up to you to pay the ransom. This ransom is typically a significant but still manageable amount of money, otherwise, the victim can’t follow through. It’s also often demanded in untraceable payment methods like wire transfers or store gift cards.

How Can You Avoid It:

• It’s horrifying to think that this might actually be true yet you dismissed it as a scam.
• If you receive a call or message like this one, play along long enough to get the information you need.
• Then, before doing anything, simply contact the relative in question and verify that they’re okay.
• Don’t forget to file a police report on the scam and the attempted extortion.

For full details of this scam check out this article from Lake Forest Patch.