College Station Police Warn Of Kidnapping Scam

Screen shot from the College Station police department's Twitter account.
Screen shot from the College Station police department's Twitter account.

The College Station police department is aware of at least two people receiving calls in the past few days from what has turned out to be a kidnapping hoax scam.

CSPD stated on its social media that these calls can sound scary and be incredibly convincing.

The department relayed information from the FBI that this scam originally targeted Hispanics but has since targeted others.

According to a FBI tweet shared by CSPD, “Virtual kidnapping scams begin with a phone call. If an unsuspecting person answers the phone and hears a voice screaming, “Help me!” it could be ruse. The voice is likely a recording and providing information only helps the criminals.”

CSPD shared four signs that this is a scam: (1) scammers pretend to be from an organization you know, (2) scammers say there is a problem or a prize, (3) scammers pressure you to act immediately, and (4) scammers tell you to pay in a specific way.

Screen shot from the College Station police department's Facebook account.
Screen shot from the College Station police department’s Facebook account.