January 3rd, 2019 by WCBC Radio

The Allegany County Sheriff’s Office would like to bring to the attention of its citizens a new scam that has been circulating in the area. Recently, local law enforcement agencies have received complaints of phone calls from actors trying to obtain money by faking a family member’s abduction. The caller will indicate they have a family member held hostage and they are requesting money in return for the family member’s release. The caller directs the family member to respond to a particular location and wire money to an account outside the United States. These complaints have been investigated and there is no evidence to support that any of the threats are legitimate.

Citizens are asked to report any similar incidents to the police immediately. If you receive a call of this nature, ensure the safety of your family member(s) and do not make an attempt to contact the caller. Although the caller makes everything appear to be legitimate, these incidents have been determined to be a scam in an attempt to receive funds from the victims.