Disturbing Text Message Scam Reported In North Haven: Police

NORTH HAVEN, CT — Police are warning residents of a disturbing text scam in which the suspects claim to be part of a drug cartel and threaten to kill the victim and their family.

A resident recently reported that they had been contacted by an unknown person, via text message, who claimed to be part of a drug cartel. The text message went to the victim’s cell phone, in Spanish, and additional messages showed the suspects had information about the victim, including name, date of birth, address, etc., according to police.

“The suspect(s) demanded money wired to them, or the victim and their family would be killed,” police wrote in a post on Facebook. “Follow up text messages from the suspect(s) included graphic photos of killed, tortured, and mutilated people, as well as weapons. Several of the graphic photos which were sent to the victim were located online in numerous different forums/sites. Additionally, information which was being sent to the victim was information typically available through public records searches. There have been incidents similar to this occurring in numerous states over the last several years. Do not engage the suspect via text message. Save the message, block the number, and file a report.”