‘Burg Police Say Scammers Allege Kidnapping in Latest Scheme

Imagine getting a call and some one telling you that your child has been kidnapped. If you're a parent it doesn't matter if your child is school age, or a young adult, it has to be one of the scariest things some one can tell you. You're going to want to take action immediately to help your child. And that's just what the latest scam artists operating in the Warrensburg area want you to do.

Warrensburg Police posted a warning to area residents that they have had two cases over the past week where scam artists attempted to tell parents their child was kidnapped. In one case the parent of a school age child. In another case the father in law of an adult child. In both cases it was found that the child was safe and had not been abducted.

Warrensburg police say "these scammers are relentless; they do not care about you or your family, they are only trying to get money."  They also offer some tips on how can prevent being a victim of of this scam:

• If you receive a call from someone alleging that one of your family members has been kidnapped, don't disclose your loved one's name or any identifying information. Request to speak to your loved one. Ask the person on the other end of the phone, "how do I know they're ok?"
• Try and contact your loved one by phone, text message, social media and verify they're OK. Request they give you a call on their phone. If you can't reach them call other family members to see if they've been called too.
• If someone is asking for a gift card, instead of cash, that is an indication that someone is trying to work a scam.

Finally, Warrensburg Police wrote on Facebook, "These schemes rely on deception and threats and often move very fast because they know their scam can unravel very quickly. Please keep in mind, the same general scheme applies for any scam."