The Boston Police Department (BPD) has issued a community alert regarding a wave of scams targeting elderly Boston-area residents.
This malicious attempt involves fraudsters making false kidnapping claims about the relatives of the targeted individuals, particularly school-aged children.
The alert notes that this manner of scam isn't a novel approach, rendered unfamiliar only by its recurring nature in a changing societal setting.
In these hoax calls, as stated in the BPD community alert, callers falsely assert that the recipient's child has been kidnapped.
Fake ransom demands are made for the claimed kidnapped child's release.
In some instances, callers even include distressing background sounds of children crying to seem genuine.
The recipients of the scam calls have, in the cases reported so far, confirmed their children safe in school and no victim has transferred any ransom money.
The BPD further advises that those receiving such calls immediately contact the police and then try to confirm the said family member's safety. Pressing the caller for precise information on the claimed kidnapped person or requesting a physical description to quickly discredit such false claims is also a useful measure. Additionally, victims should try to capture the caller's contact details and report to both the BPD and Federal Trade Commission for further action.
Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives recently passed HB 1697, a bill that would create a state False Claims Act (FCA) as a counterpart to the well-known federal FCA. The bill is now with the Pe...