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Los Angeles residents, especially those in the Latino community, are urged to be extra vigilant about a “virtual” kidnapping scam through which criminals attempt to extort money by claiming that they are holding loved ones captive.
The Los Angeles Police Department warned Friday that scammers, often Spanish speakers, call or text message would-be victims via a private messaging app, saying they are holding a family member hostage.
While there was in fact no kidnapping, criminals demand money in exchange for the “safe release,” the LAPD said.
“(The scammers) claim to have a loved one held captive and provide various reasons, such as money was owed to the cartel for lost narcotics, involved in a traffic collision they caused, etc.,” police warned.
The criminals also demand ransom be sent or delivered to a specific location while urging the victims to remain on the phone as the payout is being processed, falsely claiming that they are being watched, according to the LAPD.
Sometimes, the scammers reach out to multiple family members, such as a parent and a child, to make their lies more believable, officials said.
Police also recommend people beware of calls and text messages coming from unknown numbers, including prefix numbers originating from Mexico (+52) and other local area codes.
When people turn to social media to seek help in finding a missing loved one, they should be extra careful about trusting information from other social media users.
“The suspects take this as an opportunity to contact the user and attempt to extort money,” the LAPD alerted.
More information is available with the LAPD’s Robbery Homicide Division at 213-486-6840.
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