Video: CBS New York interviewed with terrorized family
Phone scammers tried to trick a Morris Plains mother into paying a $3,000 ransom for her 17-year-old son, the family tells CBS New York in this video interview.
It began when the con artists somehow got the teen’s cell number. They called and told him they held his father and would “blow his head off” unless he paid them $3,000. The teen referred the callers to his mom.
At this point, the scammers told the mother they were holding the teen, and demanded ransom for him.To make the ruse seem real, they had the teen go to Simon’s Park and stay out of sight, according to The Daily Record. They also had the teen describe what he was wearing, information they conveyed to the frantic mother.
One of the callers was described in the newspaper account as a fast-talking, aggressive man with a Spanish accent. They briefly conferenced the teen into a call with the mother, according to reports.
The mother was instructed to meet the scammers at Walmart to secure the release of her son. Police were called, and they were able to locate the teen in the park. But the scammers were able to mask their electronic trail, according to the reports.
The accounts did not identify the family, citing security reasons.
