Area authorities have issued a scam alert.

According to the Warrensburg Police Department, earlier this week, officers responded to one of the schools and met with a parent, who was frantic stating they received a call from someone alleging they had kidnapped their child and was demanding ransom money. The parent heard a child screaming in the background. This parent drove to the school, where officers met them and verified the child was still in school. The parent advised that the caller had an accent.

A similar scam was attempted this past weekend when a father-in-law received a call that his daughter-in-law was kidnapped. The police department says it encouraged him to call his daughter-in-law; and when he did, he discovered she was fine.

Authorities say these scammers are relentless. They do not care about you or your family. They are only trying to get money.

The first thing authorities suggest you do is to verify that your loved one is OK by contacting them via phone, text message or social media and request they call you back from their phone. If you cannot get in contact with your loved one, call other family members to find out if they have been called as well. Do not disclose your loved one’s name or any identifying information. Request to speak with your loved one by asking, “how do I know they are OK?”

If the scammers are asking for gift cards in lieu of payment, authorities say that should be a red flag. These schemes rely on deception and threats and often move very fast because they know their scam can unravel very quickly.

Authorities also remind residents the same general scheme applies for any scam.