New Castle County patrol officers prevented a 78 year-old female from being scammed out of $4,000.00.

(Wilmington, Del. 19810) Friday (April 20) New Castle County Police were called to the unit block of Ramblewood Dr for the report of a fraud investigation. Police learned that a 78 year-old female was on her way to a bank after receiving a phone call that someone had kidnapped her daughter and they would kill her if she did not pay the $4,000.00 ransom. With help from a concerned neighbor, patrol officers were able to locate the women at a nearby pharmacy just as she was about to deposit the $4,000.00 onto a Visa green dot card. The victim was still on the phone with the suspect when police located her. Officers then intercepted the phone call with the unknown male suspect who then hung up the phone once he realized he was talking to police.

These types of investigations are difficult for local law enforcement to investigate because often times the perpetrator is calling from a different country.

If you receive a phone call such as this, the best course of action is to hang up. Do not give out any names of your family members.  For more tips on virtual kidnapping prevention, please visit the FBI website at:

https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/virtual-kidnapping

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