Crime & Safety
Niece Transfers Money To Free Her Aunt In Kidnapping Scam: LCSO
Scammers told a woman that her aunt in Sterling had been kidnapped and that she needed to send money through Western Union for her release.
STERLING, VA — A Sterling resident reported to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office on Friday that she was contacted by a person saying her niece had been involved in a traffic accident and needed money.
At the same time, the niece was contacted by scammers who said her aunt had been kidnapped and that she needed to send money through Western Union to get her released. The niece sent the money demanded by the scammers, according to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office.
The aunt had not been kidnapped, and the niece had not been in a traffic accident.
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The sheriff’s office said Monday that it is investigating the case.
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