Recently, several local residents in the village of Cornwall-on-Hudson have received anonymous calls from a male subject claiming their child or family member was involved in a motor vehicle accident and heavy vehicle damage was sustained and their family member injured.
The unknown male goes on to say his brother was the other vehicle operator and is also a gang member and that he took their family member hostage and was demanding money for their release.
To date, approximately three residents have received this type of fraudulent call. During each of these incidents, the victims were able to make contact with their prospective family member and discovered this to be a hoax. Police Chief Steven Dixon said one resident made contact with their family member via cell phone while still on the line with the anonymous caller. The other two made subsequent calls to their loved one after hanging up with the caller. The victim promptly called the police in each instance.
Several other surrounding police agencies have reported residents in their municipalities getting similar calls.
If residents receive this type of call, they should hang up and immediately notify their police department. The village police department, along with other surrounding agencies, is actively investigating these incidents.