Scams where a loved one allegedly taken hostage on rise in Westport, police say
WESTPORT — Reports of scams are on the rise in Westport, with at least three being prevented by suspicious bank employees this past week alone, police said. The scams typically involve a call where someone claims a loved one has gotten into a car accident and is being held hostage. The victim is then told to send money in exchange for their loved one’s safe return, police said.
“As a result of the dedication of our local banking institutions, there have been no reports of any monetary loss,” Lt. Eric Woods said.
Reports date back to at least March 18, Woods said, though the department works under the assumption that many of the calls go unreported. He said he has heard of six to eight scams in that time.
Police responded to M&T Bank on Thursday for a report of a possible scam, police said in a media release. At the bank, a woman told officers she received a call from a man saying he and the woman’s daughter were involved in a car accident. The woman said the man claimed to take her daughter hostage and demanded she withdraw as much money as she could from her bank account for her daughter’s safe return.
The release said the woman was told not to contact anyone about the incident. While on the phone with the potential scammer, the woman heard another woman screaming and crying in the background. At the bank, the woman attempted to withdraw all of the money from her account.
The release said a bank employee felt something was wrong, noticing the woman was visibly upset. The bank employee then questioned the woman, immediately realizing it was a scam and called the police, police said. Officers advised the woman to contact her daughter, who assured her she was safe and at work.
Woods said Westport police have seen an increase in this type of scam over the last few weeks. “It goes in waves where we hear of nothing and then we start getting complaints of scams,” he said.
Woods said the same scam involves reports of a loved one being held hostage after a crash. Banks have been asking questions when they notice a suspicious withdrawal though, Woods said.
“We hope that the release will continue to remind the banking institutions that they are on the front lines of preventing their customers of being victims of fraud,” he said.
Police recommend contacting the person allegedly in danger before sending any money or call the police if the person can’t be reached.
Woods also reminded residents to report any suspicious scams and do not send money or gift cards to someone they don’t know.
