The Charlotte County Sheriff's Office has issued a scam alert of false kidnapping claims after receiving 3 separate calls regarding a scam on Saturday.
The scams were called or texted by the phone number 813-449-1437, CCSO said. A man then states that a family member has been kidnapped for "whatever reason", and that they pistol whipped them or hurt them.
A female is then heard in the background screaming, or saying the name of the "victim". The caller then gives a location and reason why the person was “kidnapped”, and ask the person to either bring money to meet them, or just to meet them to rectify the issue.
Deputies say the "victim" was able to be contacted and verified they were ok. What they found strange is on one occasion the male caller gave a location similar to where the "victim" was near and deputies are unsure how they obtained that information.
CCSO is asking you to report a phone call like this one and to never meet an unknown caller in person.
