Snohomish Police Warn of Kidnapping Phone Scam

Snohomish County, WA – The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office wants to warn the public about a “kidnapping phone scam” that has been reported multiple times in the area.

The scam involves the victim receiving a phone call where the caller tells the victim they have kidnapped their child or relative. The kidnapper then demands ransom money from the victim. The sounds of a person screaming can be heard in the background of the phone call.

The Everett Police Department is investigating one such call that a 65-year old Everett man received on Sunday, March 5th, 2017.  The caller contacted the victim just after noon and told him that his 23-year old daughter had been kidnapped and demanded $30,000 in ransom money or his daughter would be harmed.   The victim told police he could hear the sounds of a female crying in the background, which he believed to be his daughter.

An Everett Police Officer responded to the victim’s residence and while on-scene, the suspect called again, this time demanding only $500 in ransom money.   The victim’s daughter was located in Marysville and was unaware of the kidnapping claim and extortion scheme.

A Snohomish County Deputy took two similar reports on Monday, March 6th, from two separate victims. In both cases, the caller was male and the sounds of screaming could be heard on the phone in the background.  Both victims were able to confirm that their family members were safe and accounted for, and hung up on the scammers.

The calls made to victims in Snohomish County came from numbers with 525, 528 and 284 area codes, or from a Mexico area code.

According to a release from the Everett Police Department,  Snohomish County Sheriff Ty Trenary said “This is a particularly frightening scam for victims and we are extremely concerned that this scam, which has been reported previously in other parts of the Country has now hit Snohomish County.”

The Federal Bureau of Investigation warned the public of similar extortion calls in other parts of the United States last summer. Click here to read that warning.

If you are the victim of this scam, Everett Police ask that you try to write down the phone number of the caller, then hang up the phone. If you cannot immediately verify the whereabouts and/or safety of family members the suspects have claimed to have kidnapped, please call 9-1-1 and ask for assistance from Law Enforcement.

Original Source: www.everettwa.gov/police