Hoboken Woman Falls Victim to Phone Scam, Police Cautions All Hoboken Residents

A 41-year-old Hoboken woman received a disturbing text message on Tuesday afternoon around 1 p.m.

"I have a family member of yours who was involved in an accident. Call me urgently," the message stated. (The message was in Spanish).

The woman, who lives in downtown Hoboken, called the number — (551) 580-9474 — around 1 p.m., police said.

The male voice on the other end of the line told her that her brother had been in accident and that he was being held, police said. The man than asked her for $2,000, threatening to otherwise kill her brother. 

After hanging up, the Hoboken woman frantically tried to reach her brothers, but wasn't able to, police said.

The woman then called the police.

A while later, she was able — with the help from Hoboken police officers — to locate her three brothers, who were all healthy and not in danger, according to reports.

Several similar incidents have been reported in Hudson County, police said.

Hoboken police urges all Hobokenites who believe they are the target of the scam should report the incident to the Hoboken Police Department by calling 201-420-2100.