We hear about all kinds of scams that people are trying to pull off all the time…but this one is really frightening.
A woman named Beth was clearly emotional when she shared a story on TikTok about how she received a call from someone who claimed that they were holding her sister hostage and they demanded money for her release.
Take a look at her video to get all the details and to see how thorough these scammers were with the information they had about her sister.
@bethroyce I feel the need to tell everyone I know about this. Literally the scarriest moment of my entire life #scam #scammers #scammed #hostagesituation #trauma #phonescam #fyp #foryoupage #fypシ #viral ♬ original sound – Beth
Beth’s story went viral and got people talking.
One viewer said,
“I still can’t believe human beings can put other human beings through this kind of fear & turmoil. The lack of empathy is shocking. I’m so sorry.”
Another person commented,
“I got a call like this. They said they had my sister (told me her real name) & demanded $1,000. My sister d**d in 1983, so I hung up.”
And another TikTokker added,
“I am a 911 operator and this happens to people all the time. People send THOUSANDS of dollars before they realize. I always feel so bad for them.”
And this woman heard about Beth’s story and shared her own harrowing tale on Twitter.
Well, someone just pretended to be my sister calling and threatened to kill her if I called anyone or the police. Thank god I had seen a @tiktok_us about this and hung up and called my sister and realized it wasn’t real. I’m shaking and don’t know what to do.
— Claire Gendel (@Clairetastic) March 26, 2023
The Federal Trade Commission offered guidance about what you should do if something like this happens to you:
“Don’t trust the voice. Call the person who supposedly contacted you and verify the story. Use a phone number you know is theirs. If you can’t reach your loved one, try to get in touch with them through another family member or their friends.
Scammers ask you to pay or send money in ways that make it hard to get your money back. If the caller says to wire money, send cryptocurrency, or buy gift cards and give them the card numbers and PINs, those could be signs of a scam. If you spot a scam, report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.”
Be safe out there, friends…and remember to keep your eyes open for potential scammers!
