Milpitas Resident Victim of Kidnapping Scam

MILPITAS, CA — The Milpitas Police Department is warning residents about a virtual kidnapping scam that's happening all over California, and this week a Milpitas resident was a victim:

On August 18, 2016, a virtual kidnapping scam occurred in Milpitas. The victim received a call on her cell phone from an unknown telephone number and heard a hysterical female screaming something similar to, “Mom please help me! Someone grabbed me, and I am in a van.”

The victim was convinced the voice was her daughter’s voice, and then a man with an accent got on the phone and demanded money or her daughter would be killed. The man demanded the victim remain on the cell phone and drive to Walmart where the victim was instructed to wire money to the man in Mexico.

The man continued to threaten harm to the victim’s daughter to prevent the victim from alerting the police. Periodically throughout the incident, the victim could hear a female screaming in the background and assumed it was her daughter. The victim wired a small amount of money to the man.

Upon receipt of the funds, the man told the victim the call was a scam. The victim contacted her daughter and confirmed the kidnapping call was a hoax. The Milpitas Police Department would like to remind everyone to be suspicious of any telephone call where the caller imposes a problem or crisis and the only solution is electronically transferring money or purchasing prepaid gift cards.

If you receive a suspicious phone call of this nature, you are encouraged to report it to law enforcement. These fraudulent schemes can be prevented by remaining well informed, so please share this information with your friends, family, and neighbors.

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