Disturbing Phone Scam With Brookline Victim Finds New Mark

A new variation on an old phone scam that recently surfaced in Brookline appears to have targeted a woman in Lynnfield, according to a report on the CBS Boston website.

The CBS Boston report notes that a woman in Lynnfield, whose full name is not given, received a call claiming her son was in an accident and that if she did not wire $2,000, he would be shot. The woman reportedly headed to a Western Union but police accounted for her family members before she lost any money. The 14-year old son reportedly received his own threat by text later. 

Lynnfield Police Chief David Breen told Lynnfield Patch that these incidents have been reported in Boston, Brookline, Lynn, Everett and Cambridge within the past several moths. 

“Typically, victims receive telephone calls attempting to extort money by claiming to be holding relatives for ransom with the threat of committing bodily harm. Most calls demand payment via Western Union money grams. If someone receives such a call, they should contact their family member if possible and their local police department immediately. Do not send cash or give personal information to the caller. These incidents are being investigated and any new information from similar scams will help in identifying the perpetrators,” advised Breen.   

This link on the FBI.gov website provides information about some of the more recent types of scams that people have been targeted with.