Since February 20th, two families have fallen victim to a phone scam present in Montgomery County. Police claim that a random caller will contact families under a local phone number and claim that a close family member has been shot or severely hurt. If a family wishes to receive further information, they must immediately send $500-$800 to either Puerto Rico or Florida. If they do this, the caller states, their family member has a chance of being sent back to them.
A couple in Rockville fell for the scam when a caller told them their son had been hit by a car, attacked with a gun, and tied up in an apartment. They immediately sent money to Florida even before they knew whether or not their son was safe. Police call the tactic “spoofing” and they claim that sometimes these callers will find out ways to ask for more money after the family has agreed to pay. The local number is also false and comes from outside of the country. According to the victims, once families start asking specific questions, the callers hang up. These calls have been increasing throughout other counties as well.
