MALDEN, MASS. (WHDH) - Malden police are warning residents not to engage with unknown people over the internet after receiving a report about phone scammers who are posing as gang members in an attempt to elicit money from people by using their personal information to threaten them.
In an advisory issued Wednesday, Malden police said they learned of a phone scam involving alleged gang members who claim to know “where you and/or your family reside” and provide information gathered from social media sites by posing as a friend of the opposite sex.
“In this new threats scam, the suspect(s) obtain your telephone number and ultimately threaten to ‘kill or harm you and/or your family members’ if money is not sent to them,” police wrote. “They may send photos of what appears to be dismembered bodies in an effort to make you believe they mean business. Suspect(s) are extremely aggressive and threatening.”
Police also shared screenshots of an alleged encounter with the phone scammers.
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