October 2, 2026 – Turlock Police Department officials report that over the past month, several parents have received suspicious calls from an unknown person claiming that their student was abducted and demanding money for the student’s release. The Turlock Police Department and the Turlock Unified School District remind parents that these calls are hoaxes designed to obtain money. The calls may sound realistic. In some cases, the caller may play sounds of a juvenile in distress or send graphic photographs to pressure you into sending money. The caller may know your child’s name, school, and even your address. Remember, this information can be found online and through social media platforms.

If you receive one of these calls, remain calm and hang up after the caller makes a threat. Call your student’s school to verify that they are safe. Once you have verified that your student is safe at school, block the number. Scam callers will usually move on if they do not receive a desired response. The phone numbers used for these calls are created through private networks, making them difficult for police to trace.

𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗧𝗢 𝗗𝗢:

- 𝗗𝗼 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝘂𝗻𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗻𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀. Allow unknown numbers to leave you a message.

- 𝗛𝗮𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗽 𝗶𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 if the caller threatens you or asks for personal information, such as account numbers, Social Security numbers, or dates of birth.

- 𝗕𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 after verifying that the call was a scam. Most phone providers offer an option to block scam calls. Contact your provider for more information.

- 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹. Call Turlock Police at (209) 668-1200 for assistance if you cannot verify whether the call is a scam.

- 𝗗𝗼 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆. Obtaining your money is the caller’s goal. Do not share your bank account information or send money through gift cards or MoneyGram.

𝗧𝗜𝗣𝗦:

Report the phone number and learn more about blocking these types of calls on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) website: Consumer.ftc.gov.

Source: Turlock Police Department