Kidnap/ Ransom Telephone Scam 
Torrance residents are being contacted via cellular and landline telephones by suspects claiming to be members of a Mexican drug cartel in Mexico City who have kidnapped their children (male and female, adult and minor) and instructed on how to pay the ransom. The victims are asked how much money they can access (via bank account withdrawals and credit card advances) and directed to take that amount (usually $1,000 to 5,000) to CVS and wire it via WESTERN UNION. The suspects will put someone pretending to be the victim’s kidnapped child on the phone who says: “Mom, help me. I’m in trouble. Do what they say. They got me in their truck. Help me! Help me!”
While the suspects are currently directing the victims to wire funds via
WESTERN UNION, MONEYGRAM, GREENDOT MONEYPAK and RELOADIT are also possibilities.
OTHER TELEPHONE SCAMS INCLUDE:
●Bail and attorney’s fees for a family member who has been arrested
●Unpaid taxes owed the IRS
●Fees or taxes due for winning a lottery or sweepstakes
●Problems with work visa or immigration
At no time will ANY of the above agencies ask for unpaid bills/balances to be paid by a Pre-Paid card.
If you receive a call of this nature, hang up. Do not send any money and do not call the number back.
If you are employed by a bank or retail store and sense a customer’s transaction could be related to a scam as described (i.e.; they seem nervous or panicked while withdrawing cash, wiring money, or purchasing reloadable credit cards), consider mentioning this scam to that individual. You doing so just may prevent the scam from being completed and save the victim thousands of dollars in loss.
Click here for Bulletin:
http://www.torranceca.gov/TPD/Documents/15-057_PUBLIC_Kidnap-Ransom_Scam_(2).pdf
If you believe you have been a victim of this or a similar scam, please contact the Torrance Police Department at 310-618-5641.
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“See Something, Say Something”
Emergency 9-1-1
Non-Emergency: 310-618-5641
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14046700 |
Provided By:
Torrance Police Department –
Community Affairs Division
310-618-6391 or 310-618-6392
www.Police.TorranceCA.Gov
www.YouTube.com/TPDCommAffairs
www.Facebook.com/TorrancePD
www.Twitter.com/TorrancePD
Address/Location
Torrance Police Department
3300 Civic Center Dr
Torrance, CA 90503
Contact
Emergency: 9-1-1
Non-emergencies: 310-328-3456
