ORLANDO, Fla. – Orlando police said someone has been ripping people off by threatening to harm their loved ones if they don't get paid. But investigators believe it's all a trick.
According to police, the scammers are calling individuals and telling them that a loved one is in their custody and that if a certain amount of money is not wired to a certain location, that loved one will be harmed.
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The majority of the individuals that have received these calls have ignored them; however, several victims have wired money as directed by these persons. The persons making these calls have been "spoofing" their number, in an attempt to not be located. "Spoofing" prevents the scammers' actual number from popping up on the victim's caller ID.
If anyone receives a phone call of this nature, they are asked to call their local law enforcement agency.