Police say it happened Wednesday. They say it involved a ransom demand from a fictional kidnapping. The scammers appeared to work off a basic script adding details as the victim provide information about the relative. The basic script involves a motor vehicle accident in which an outraged owner abducts beats and threatens to kill the hostage if cash for repairs is not wired immediately. In this case, the alleged kidnappers demanded $1500.00 ransom. The State College Police were able to locate the relative of the victim and confirmed his safety. In addition, The State College Police were able to determine that the suspect was calling from Puerto Rico utilizing a prepaid cell phone.
The State College Police recommend residents who receives these types of calls to not panic and immediately call 911 to have the police confirm the safety of their relatives. This scam has been in existence for several years in other parts of the country.
