Don't Fall For 'Loved One's Kidnapping' Telephone Scam Reported In Bay Area

EAST BAY, CA -- Union City police are warning residents of a hoax kidnapping scam that has occurred twice in the last three weeks.

The suspects call their victims from an untraceable cellphone number and tell family members they won't hurt their loved ones if they don't tell police and wire money through Western Union.

The suspects also ask for the family members' cellphone numbers, addresses and other personal information, police said.

In one of the scams, a teenage girl answered the phone and the suspect told her they had her mother hostage.

The suspects asked for the mother's cellphone number and then called the mother to report they had her
daughter hostage, according to police.

The mother was on her way to wire money to the suspects when police stopped her.

Police are asking anyone who receives a suspicious call to immediately notify them and avoid giving out personal information of family members or friends over the phone.

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