Ransom scam call said ‘Pedro’ kidnapped her daughter. She was safe at Fresno school

The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office issued a warning Wednesday of “what could be an ongoing, widespread scam” of people falsely claiming a loved one has been kidnapped, then asking for money to return a person safely home.

Detectives became aware of an extortion attempt Tuesday after dispatchers received a phone call from a Fresno woman reporting a possible kidnapping of her daughter.

“The woman explained that an unknown man named Pedro had called her speaking Spanish,” said Tony Botti, spokesman for the sheriff’s office. “He told her he had kidnapped her daughter from a bus stop. Pedro said that if she wanted her daughter safely returned, she would need to transfer $500 to him using a money wiring service. The phone number on the caller ID originated out of Mexico and began with a 52, followed by 10 digits.”

The woman, who has four daughters, became suspicious, hung up the phone, and contacted her husband. He told her that he had picked up one of their daughters at school and she was safe. Deputies responded to the home, and then found the couple’s other three daughters safe at two other Fresno County schools.

“Pedro later called back and a deputy who remained at the home answered the phone,” Botti said. “He identified himself as law enforcement, which caused Pedro to curse at the deputy and hang up on him. Deputies attempted to call back the number, but were unable to get through.”

The department said it takes allegations of kidnappings seriously, but also offered these tips to try to verify the credibility of the claim:

▪ Do not rush to send money.

▪ Do not reveal personal information such as names, locations, etc.

▪ Ask the caller questions that a stranger would not know.

▪ Attempt to contact a friend, relative or the potential victim to see if everything is OK.

▪ Document any information, such as the caller’s name or phone number, and report it.

This story was originally published November 14, 2018 at 5:32 PM.