Grand Chute Police are warning residents about a scary phone scam where the caller claims to have kidnapped your child.
A Grand Chute resident called police Monday to say he had been the victim of a phone scam. According to the resident, a 12-digit phone number called him and a man claimed he had his daughter and she would not be released until the father paid a ransom, according to a Facebook post from the police department.
The father told the man he would not do anything until he knew his daughter was safe, and a female voice came on the line pleading with the father to do as the man said. The father was told to go to a grocery store to make the exchange, police said.
The man then hung up to call his son to check on his daughter, and the same 12-digit number then called his wife's cell phone, police said.
The father was able to find out his daughter was safe and realized the call was a scam, according to police. The number then called the father again. The father tried to get as much information from the callers as he could, then told them he knew his daughter was safe, police said.
The scammers knew the father's name, as well as his wife's and daughter's names. They also knew his and his wife's cell phone numbers, he told police.
Police remind residents that much of their personal information is available to scammers via the White Pages and social media.
"The best defense against something like this? Stay informed," the Grand Chute Police Department posted on Facebook. "Keep up to date on current scams. Also, stay in contact with your loved ones. Check up on them."
Police also remind residents to call them if they are the victim of a scam like this so they can help inform the community.
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