We are sharing a scam alert from the Newark Police Department. Fremont has also received a few recent reports, so please read this alert and share the information with your friends, family members and neighbors.
Kidnapped family member scam alert from the Newark Police Department.
Scam Alert!
There is a reoccurring scam going around where you receive a phone call from someone claiming to have kidnapped a family member or is calling on behalf of a family member who is in jail in a foreign country. While it may seem outlandish to read, the scam is often used effectively, especially against those who have family in foreign countries or family visiting foreign countries. The caller suggests that you wire money to an account so your family member can be released. These calls can be quite convincing. The caller may or may not know the name of the family member out of the country, but will ask questions to obtain information from you about loved ones to become even more convincing.
We recommend that you share this information with families and friends. We also suggest you create a plan if you or family members live outside of the United States to identify if a family member needs assistance or if you are being scammed.
Establish a family code phrase or question that your family knows is not true, but would be able to be used in conversation to identify a possible risk of being scammed. For example, “How is (name of child in family)’s husband/wife doing?” even though the child is not actually married. Ask the caller or “kidnapper” to provide you with the answer. This is a common security feature used by alarm companies and banks and will allow you to distinguish between a real emergency and a scam.
After receiving this call, verify the safety of family members by reaching out to them. This scam has been occurring throughout the United States and has occurred twice in our area. In both of these cases, the “kidnapped” victims were not in any sort of danger. The police were notified and it was confirmed that the call came from overseas, and a quick call to the “victim” established that all was well.
Be vigilant and alert.
