Full Notification

LINDENWOLD POLICE DEPARTMENT NEWS RELEASE 3/11/2015

WARNING: PHONE SCAMMERS CLAIM TO HAVE ABDUCTED CHILD AND DEMAND $1000.00 RANSOM

On 3/10/2015 Lindenwold Police Department received a call from a mother who reported that she just received a call wherein the caller reported to have kidnapped her daughter and demanded $1000.00 for the child’s safe return. The call initially created consternation on the part of the child’s mother and Police due to the fact that it was received around the same time as school dismissal and the child had not return home immediately after school. Lindenwold Police Officers immediately mustered resources to begin an exhaustive search and investigation. About a half hour into the search and investigation the girl was located unharmed at her friend’s house located near her home.
The investigation revealed that the call originated from Puerto Rico and that the mother may have inadvertently provided her daughter’s name to the caller during the call which the caller used to make it appear as if he actually had kidnapped the girl. In this case no ransom or other money was sent to the scammers. The Lindenwold Police Department is providing this information to the public to raise awareness of this type of phone scam and protect our community.

This type of phone scam is not uncommon and has been reported in numerous locations across the country for the past several years. The FBI has termed this type of scam as the “Grandparents Scam” due to the fact that scammers usually tend to focus on grandparents during this time of year when young adults typically travel out of the country for Spring Break. In this type of scam the victim would usually receive a call from someone posing as their grandchild who would claim that they are in trouble and need money wired to them right away. Scammers have recently become very adept at gaining particular information regarding the grandchild or other target, such as name and date of birth, via social media accounts such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

If you receive this type of phone call or know someone else who has please contact the Police Department immediately to make a report regarding the incident.

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For emergencies dial 911
For non-emergencies contact dispatcher at 856-783-4900