Phone scam uses kidnapping ploy

The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office is warning of a scam involving a caller who claims to be holding a hostage for ransom.

A county resident received the call earlier this week from someone demanding $2,000 to release the resident’s brother. The caller said he was holding the brother hostage after they had been involved in an accident. The caller said the brother owed $2,000 for damage.

The caller claimed that the brother would be killed if the resident did not immediately wire the money.

The resident contacted the sheriff’s office. Deputies determined that the call was coming from a number that had been involved in scams in other parts of the country.

The sheriff’s office advises people to be wary of calls from unknown people and area codes.

Money should never be sent to unknown people, and anyone who receives such a questionable call should contact law enforcement, the sheriff’s office said.

This story was originally published March 6, 2014 at 11:02 AM with the headline "Phone scam uses kidnapping ploy."