FBI Warns of Kidnapping Phone Scam

Lord knows we get scammed all the time, so when a new one rears it's ugly head you need to know about it.

While many of the victims of this newest scam are on the other side of the country the FBI says it can happen any where.

The FBI is warning Americans of a phone scam that involves a woman frantically screaming for help. At this point they say at least 80 people from California, Minnesota, Idaho, and Texas have fallen for the scam. But the Federal Bureau of Investigations also had this to say:

Law enforcement agencies have been aware of virtual kidnapping fraud for at least two decades, but a recent FBI case illustrates how this frightening scam—once limited to Mexico and Southwest border states—has evolved so that U.S. residents anywhere could be potential victims.

The call sounds like a woman screaming, then a man's voice says she's being held hostage and threatens to dismember her fingers if you don't wire at most two-thousand dollars.

Obviously fraud like this doesn't snare every person, but it only takes a few for scammers to make money. Even though millions of us know the IRS doesn't call your house and leave threatening messages, a whole lot of people fall for that one and others. So it's still good to be forewarned.