Law enforcement officials are warning of a local telephone scam targeting residents of the Antelope Valley.
The scam begins with a phone call from an unknown person pretending to have kidnapped the victim’s child. The parent(s) are then told that if they fail to pay a ransom the child will be killed. This week, the scam was attempted when suspect(s) called a bridal store in Quartz Hill claiming that the shopkeeper’s daughter had been kidnapped and that they wanted an undisclosed amount of money to free her, according to Sgt. Dan Wolanski of the Lancaster Sheriff’s station. However, the girl was located and was fine.
“In these incidences, the victims have immediately notified Lancaster Sheriff’s station and their children were contacted and were safe,” Sheriff’s officials said in a press release. “No kidnapping had taken place.”
The Sheriff’s Department cautioned the public to be extra aware of such scams and to contact local law enforcement, if you or your family are being threatened. “Always know where your children are, who they are with, and have a means to contact them at all times.”
To see a description of the most common phone scams, signs of a scam, and how to protect yourself from such an occurrence, visit www.fbi.gov/scams-safety/fraud.
The public can report threats and scams to the FBI directly
