A frightening kidnapping scam has been targeting parents and guardians at at least two New Mexico Catholic schools, telling them their child has been snatched from school property.
The callers demand ransom in the form of a credit card payment for the safe return of the child.
“They sometimes have the name of the child … which makes this call extremely worrisome,” says an alert issued by the Archdiocese of Santa Fe on Wednesday, Nov. 9.
“Please know the local authorities are aware of this and have indicated it is a recent scam, and there is no reason to panic or remit payment.”
The archdiocese does not believe anyone has paid a ransom amount, according to Donna Illerbrun, superintendent of the archdiocese’s schools.
She says parents are told the callers are “from the cartels.” Although the callers have the name of the student, it is not clear whether they know which school the child attends, she said in a statement.
The archdiocese, which covers Albuquerque and much of northern New Mexico, did not want to name the schools that were involved, spokeswoman Leslie Radigan said.
Police in Boston last month issued a similar alert regarding three such incidents at public schools in that city.
This scheme has the hallmarks of the persistent “grandparent” scam in which a caller claims the grandchild has gotten into trouble and is being held in a prison in Mexico, Turkey or wherever.
Such crimes hinge on fear and immediacy, giving the potential…
