Parents Warn Others Of New Kidnapping Scam In Denver
DENVER (CBS4) - A Denver family says for nearly two terrifying hours they believed their daughter had been kidnapped. Police say it is an elaborate new scam hitting in Denver.
Pete and Lori who asked CBS4 to not use their last name were targeted last Thursday.
"I got a call at the office. It was my daughter, I thought and she was terrified. I thought she got in a car wreck and all of a sudden a man's voice came on the phone," Pete said.
The man claimed to have his daughter, and money the alleged kidnapper said was the only way to get her back.
"'If you hang up the phone you will never see your daughter again.' They keep saying that over and over. 'We are professionals. We are Mexican cartel,'" he said.
His first attempt at a money transfer would fail, and Lori was brought in to help.
"He came in. He picks up my phone which was next to me. He hands it to me and he says 'Someone is going to call you right now, and you have to do exactly what he says,'" she said.
Immediately skeptical she started asking questions.
"He said to me 'I'll be straight with you, if you're straight with me. I'm going to put her on the phone,' and then I heard this girl crying going 'Lori, Lori make dad send the money' and I mouthed to him 'Oh my God, that's her,'" she said.
The couple went to the bank to get cash where Lori left a note with the manager to call police. Officers responded while the caller was still on the line and were able to record a portion of what was said.
"'Quit being stupid mom,'" the caller said.
"'I'm not being stupid, I'm scared,'" Lori responded.
"'If you want to be stupid hang up on me and try and find her on your own,'" he told her.
With police on scene, they were sure it was fake and they immediately called their daughter.
"She answers, and she's just like 'Hi dad!' I'm like 'Where are you?' and she's like 'I'm at home doing homework,' and the relief was unbelievable," he said.
It was a scam, but the panic was real. They hope to warn other families about before it's too late.
"We just want to make sure nobody has to go through this horror," Pete said.
The Denver Police Department is investigating these crimes and advises anyone contacted by these criminals to contact the Denver police department at 720-913-2000 immediately and to not respond to the demands.
