The Chattanooga Police Department wants to warn the public of a new scam that has emerged over the last few days in the Chattanooga area. Chattanooga Police have received reports in recent days where a person has received a call alerting his/her that a family member was involved in a minor accident with a member of the mafia or someone on the run from the law. Each time, the person was told that their family member was being held hostage and he or she would have to wire money to get their loved one released.
In each of these cases the citizen’s family member had not been in a traffic accident and the story has been fabricated by the caller in an effort to extort money from the victim.
The Chattanooga Police Department asks citizens to be aware of this scam and to notify law enforcement immediately if a call like this is received.