Pittsburgh FBI field office warns Northwest PA residents of kidnapping scam

PITTSBURGH, Pa - The FBI Pittsburgh Field Office is warning Northwest Pennsylvania residents of a hoax kidnapping scam targeting Pennsylvanians.
According to the field office, over 450 calls were made by someone living in Mexico to people with the 724 area code.
Investigation revealed that people in Mexico are scanning social media accounts for people traveling the Southwest border area. They are then calling the traveler's loved ones claiming their loved one has been kidnapped or is in danger.
The callers then request victims to send them money as soon as possible.
FBI Pittsburgh warns Pennsylvanians to never give out financial information over the phone or the internet to people you don't know. They also ask Pennsylvanians to warn their loved ones of this scam, as some can be very convincing.
Anyone who receives a phone call like this should remain calm and resist the urge to act quickly and get as much information from the caller as possible including their phone number if possible.
Hang up and call a family member or loved one to verify the information, then report the call to your local law enforcement agency and the FBI.
If you still believe you need to withdraw money, talk to your bank manager and ask for guidance, and never wire money, especially overseas, merely based on a request made over the phone or email, as once you send it, you can never get it back.
Pittsburgh's FBI Field Office is currently working with other state, local, federal and international law enforcement partners to find and arrest the people responsible for the scam.
Victims should report any suspicious calls of this nature regardless of whether or not they gave scammers money. Complaints can be filed here, or by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI.