The Wichita Falls Police Department is warning residents about a new phone scam that tries to convince you a loved one has been kidnapped.

Friday afternoon (Sept. 8), a local couple was contacted separately by phone scammers trying to convince each person that the other had been kidnapped, According to WFPD. The scammers were demanding ransom for the safe return of the other person, and neither person was able to contact the other to confirm their safety.

Around 3pm, a man reportedly called police claiming his wife had been kidnapped and that the kidnappers were demanding ransom over the phone.

Police were finally able to locate the man's wife outside a shopping center on Lawrence Rd. She said she had been receiving calls that her husband had been kidnapped and she was also following ransom demands from the kidnappers over the phone.

The WFPD referred to this as "virtual kidnapping", where scammers are trying to get a quick ransom out of a victim before they are able to contact the person that was supposedly kidnapped. The WFPD warns that if you receive such a call, do not pay the money. Instead, immediately try to contact the loved one they claim was kidnapped and then contact the WFPD.

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