Last week, police announced that a Darien parent paid out $1,800 after a caller demanded the money in order to release the man's daughter, in what turned out to be a successful scam.
Darien police have now released this account of the incident, giving more details:
Late Wednesday morning, sometime before 11:28 a.m., when police were called, a 62-year-old Darien man received a call from a man with a Hispanic accent.
The man told the victim a common story told by scammers: That the man's daughter had gotten into a motor vehicle accident with the man's dangerous, unstable brother, who had her at the caller's apartment.
The caller, who called from (203) 293-3384, demanded $1,800 be wired immediately via Western Union to Alipao Soto Montalvo in Mayaguez, PR. The caller demanded that the parent not get off the phone.
The parent went to Walmart in Norwalk and had the money wired. He was told to go to Norwalk Hospital to meet his daughter. Then a second person got on the line and demanded another $200 be wired as well.
By this point, the parent thought the phone call was a scam and told the caller he wouldn't wire the money but would meet him. The caller hung up.
The man confirmed by phone that his daughter was unharmed and nothing had happened.
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