On Sunday, the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office issued a warning to residents regarding kidnapping scam calls. The kidnapping/injured family member scam typically begins with a phone call saying your family member is being held captive.
According to the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office, they have been contacted by several citizens who reported receiving calls from someone claiming to be a family member, who are only able to say a few words before the phone is taken away by a man. The man tells the potential victim that they need to send money if they want to see their relative again and there are screams heard in the background during the call.
In one instance, according to the Sheriff’s Office, one woman told the man that she would call her family and she hung up. She then confirmed that her family member was not in trouble. In another instance, a man reported that he kept telling the man that he did not have any money and an argument ensued before the caller told the potential victim not to tell anyone about the call and he would call back later to let them know if the daughter was still alive. The family was able to get in touch with the daughter who lives out of town to determine she was safe and she did not make any calls.