Oakland Unified Warns Parents of Phone Scams Claiming Children Were Kidnapped

Children walk to school in Oakland, Calif., on Sept. 10, 2018. Mario Tama/Getty Images

Oakland Unified School District officials are alerting parents to a new scam involving fake calls from individuals falsely claiming to have kidnapped their children, according to the Mercury News.

The scammers, who have reportedly been active during the fall semester, are demanding a ransom— even using alarming audio recordings of children crying out in distress in the background.

In several instances, scammers demonstrated a disconcerting level of familiarity with the targeted families, including knowledge of children’s names, the Mercury News reported. Despite these tactics, the school district has confirmed all the students mentioned in the calls were safely at school.

Sondra Aguilera, chief academic officer for the district warned parents in a Dec. 20 email not to fall for the scam when children return to classrooms in January.

“Unfortunately, this scam shows the heartlessness of some scammers, and the lengths to which they will go to squeeze money from unsuspecting people,” Ms. Aguilera said. “This is where being alert and prepared for any possible scenario can help protect families.”

The phone calls occurred in November and this month, Ms. Aguilera said.

She reminded parents in the email the district will communicate directly with them if a true emergency occurs, and assured parents that students would remain “safe and protected” once they are on campus.

The email also suggested that parents receiving such calls during school hours should collect as much information as possible, including the caller’s phone number, and immediately contact the Oakland Police after hanging up.

The scam is part of a trend of phone-based scams, with such being the most prevalent in the United States last year, according to the Federal Trade Commission.