During the weekend of February 1st and 2nd, the Watertown Police Department took two reports in which our citizens had money extorted from them. In both instances, the victims received a telephone call. The number displayed on caller ID in both occurrences was 528-261-590934 (Yes two too many numbers were displayed).

When the victim answered the telephone, there was a male subject with a Spanish accent on the other end. The male said that he was part of a drug cartel and they had the victim’s daughter. The male went on to say the daughter had seen too much and they were going to kill her if the victim did not wire money to have her released. The suspect would keep the victim on the telephone and demand the victim go to different locations and wire money.

When the victim would question the caller and request details about their daughter, the suspect would become angry. It was also reported that the victim could hear a female crying in the background.

The Watertown Police Department would encourage our residents to screen calls from telephone numbers they do not recognize and allow them to go to voicemail. If you do happen to answer a call and speak with a person trying to get you to wire money, gift card numbers, or any other form of currency, hang up immediately, block the number and report the activity to local law enforcement.