Some people are really evil :(

[jerseygal]

This is EVIL! GLAD that you were "smart thinking" and recognized that this was a scam!

 

[Disneylover99]

All of these stories are terrible.
I don't bother answering my phone unless I know who is calling.

 

[low-key]

what the heck, the world is going nuts, let me off

 

[Piglet4Ever]

Glad that your family member is ok, sorry that happened to you. This is why I love caller ID, if I don't know the number I don't pick it up period.

 

[mamacatnv]

My MIL received a call several months ago from someone claiming to be my son, the Mexican Jail scheme. My MIL was smart enough to ask the person claiming to be my son his date of birth and the person hung up but it really shook up my MIL - she was really shocked at how much this person sounded like my son. I am thankful she was smart and kept her cool.
People will do anything to make a buck, its disgusting.

 

[eliza61]

This is a very very common scam. Just like the Nigerian BFs on dating sites or the you won a billion dollars.

Prisons are full of evil people.

question guys, I wonder though how people are falling for it. my dad had this happened to him, caller said that my brother had been arrested out of the country and they needed a bunch of dough to get him released. my dad said that was pretty interesting considering that my brother was currently sitting on the coach with a his leg in a cast from a motorcycle accident.

we never were able to get the call traced or anything but I think my first reaction would be to call the so called kidnapped victim not folk over cash.

 

[Guyton dis lover]

Scum bags, thanks for the INFO

 

[MickeySP]

question guys, I wonder though how people are falling for it. my dad had this happened to him, caller said that my brother had been arrested out of the country and they needed a bunch of dough to get him released. my dad said that was pretty interesting considering that my brother was currently sitting on the coach with a his leg in a cast from a motorcycle accident.

we never were able to get the call traced or anything but I think my first reaction would be to call the so called kidnapped victim not folk over cash.

Because these people are preying on emotion. People become primal & don't think things through at times.

I get these calls all the time. Heck when I was OLD ( online dating) I used to love playing with these people. Last week they called my work to talk to one of my coworkers, boy did we have fun. We hung, they called back. I told them he was so excited he hit the big lottery that he quit . We kept it up until real work intervened.

 

[DisTXMom]

How awful! That must have shaken you up terribly, even though you knew he was ok

It's one thing for these losers to call with money scams (which is bad enough), but a virtual kidnapper? That takes these scum to a whole new level. Booooooo!

 

[BadgerGirl84]

Maybe Blake and Reba are going to run off together lol

It was a local number, so I picked up.

I guess it doesn't matter if I say - they said they had my husband. I had my son call him from another phone while I was talking to the "kidnapper". My husband picked up the phone, thank goodness, so we knew it was a scam. The guys I was talking to were very scary and the fact that it was a local number is even scarier.

So what did you say when you realized it was a scam?

 

[eliza61]

Because these people are preying on emotion. People become primal & don't think things through at times.

I get these calls all the time. Heck when I was OLD ( online dating) I used to love playing with these people. Last week they called my work to talk to one of my coworkers, boy did we have fun. We hung, they called back. I told them he was so excited he hit the big lottery that he quit . We kept it up until real work intervened.

I guess maybe because I'm a cynical ex New Yorker, lol I believe nothing!! You would darn near have to get a notarized affidavit with finger prints and witnesses swearing it was my kid before I believed you.

I don't know if anyone remembers this funny story a while back, a kid was visiting the white house and President GW Bush came in, he didn't believe him and the president whipped out his American express card to prove his identity. It was a cute photo-op. That's me.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

OP, how did you find out it was a scam?

I would assume said kidnapped person wasn't, in fact, kidnapped.

 

[cabanafrau]

That's disturbing.

A friend's father got caught up in the scam where they call a senior and tell them a grandchild has been arrested. He paid out $5,000 for "bail money". Absolutely astounded a very intelligent, very aware man was able to be taken in -- particularly when his grandchildren are all reliable and incredibly unlikely to be arrested for anything, nevermind something that required $5,000 bail!

 

[Goofy_Disney_Dad]

I would assume said kidnapped person wasn't, in fact, kidnapped.

Okay, that made me giggle.

 

[brookmey]

I got a call about 6 months ago telling me my mom was seriously injured in a hospital in Mexico. It really freaked me out because at that time my mom was in Mexico with my aunt and uncle visiting his family. I asked about my aunt and uncle and the caller just said your mom is here, needs surgery, send money, blah, blah, blah. I used my iPad to text my mom, my aunt and my sister to make sure my mom was OK. I asked where in Mexico and the caller just told me where to wire money. By that time I had gotten a text from my mom saying they were having fun and everything was fine. My aunt even sent a picture of the 2 of them with my uncle's sister. I hung up and then called the police.

Something about the phone call was suspicious to me right away, but because my mom was actually in Mexico, a small part of me wondered if it was true. I'm so glad my mom and aunt texted me back pretty quickly because there was no way I was wiring money without knowing more info about the "injury."

 

[SandiR]

question guys, I wonder though how people are falling for it. my dad had this happened to him, caller said that my brother had been arrested out of the country and they needed a bunch of dough to get him released. my dad said that was pretty interesting considering that my brother was currently sitting on the coach with a his leg in a cast from a motorcycle accident.

we never were able to get the call traced or anything but I think my first reaction would be to call the so called kidnapped victim not folk over cash.

What if you couldn't get in touch with your loved one?

Don't be so sure you're too savvy to fall for it. When someone is screaming at you on the phone that they've bashed your loved one over the head with a bat and have them unconscious in the trunk of their car, don't be so sure of how you'd react.

 

[Hrhpd]

A number can be easily spoofed to look like it is local to the number they were calling (yours). I doubt they are local to you but I suppose anything is possible.

Exactly. Rachel from Card Services has taken to calling me from my own number. Very weird to see you own name pop up on caller id. At least I know it is Rachel

 

[SandiR]

The number popped up as a town very nearby. They referred to a place that I know that is in the town that showed up on the caller ID. I do think that there's a good chance they were local.

 

[cabanafrau]

Exactly. Rachel from Card Services has taken to calling me from my own number. Very weird to see you own name pop up on caller id. At least I know it is Rachel

Alas, it seems Rachel may have indeed kept her word and the last call was truly "my final notice".

Watch, I've just jinxed myself with that.

 

[rszdtrvl]

My mother got a phone call like that regarding me in the early 90's when I was in high school. She freaked out, called the school, and came to the school to pick me up. I was like "huh??".
Idiots. It makes we wonder why technology can't stop someone from spoofing phone numbers and stuff like this. I am sure we have the technology to stop it, even with hackers. Anybody caught hacking into a computer should immediately be stopped. Seriously.