Sheriff: Phone Scammers Say They Are Holding a Family Member Captive

The Carroll County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a series of suspicious telephone calls made to County residents. 

A Hampstead man and a Mount Airy man both reported receiving a call in which the male caller claimed to have been involved in a motor vehicle accident with a member of their immediate family, with the caller citing the correct name of the family member, police said. The caller then claims that he’s holding the family member captive until damages, in the range of several hundred to several thousand dollars, are paid, according to police reports. 

The Baltimore City and Baltimore County Police have also taken similar reports from residents in their communities, police report.  While the calls display a local exchange, they’re suspected as originating from outside the continental United States, according to a news release. 

To date, the Sheriff’s Office says that it has not received any reports of residents being defrauded by the calls, but wants resident to be alert and vigilant as the calls appear to be random.  

The Sheriff's Office recommends that residents:

• Do not reply to any of these types of requests asking to pay fees or damages

• In particular, do not send any money

Anyone with information about these incidents is asked to contact the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division at 410-386-2900, or the Anonymous TIPS Hotline at 1-888-399-TIPP.