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BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Police are warning Idaho residents not to fall for a new phone scam where a caller claims to have kidnapped a family member.
Boise Police Lt. Stan Niccolls says his department has gotten half a dozen reports of the hoax calls over the past two months. In the scam, a stranger calls claiming to have kidnapped the person's child or grandchild, and demands that ransom money be sent by wire in exchange for the child's safe return.
The police department says people who get such calls should resist the pressure to act quickly and instead try to contact the family member to determine whether the call is legitimate. The police department is also asking people to report all such calls.
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