Mar 31, 2015
My sister and I were at Dairy Queen today on the corner of Colonial Drive/Goldenrod Rd. when she got a phone call from a guy claiming to be an EMT and claimed that there is a man who had been in a car accident who had my sisters number in his emergency contacts. My sister said that the only person that could be is her father. He said that our dad was unconscious and we need to go to the Exxon gas station immediately and that they needed money for transporting him to the hospital.
When my sister was confused and hesitant, he then said that he would shoot my dad in the head with a gun if she didn't do what he says and eventually said that he would shoot my sister as well if she didn't do what he said. As this was going on, I called my dad on my cell phone and everything was fine with him (he was at work like always). After my sister hung up on the man claiming to be an EMT, we called 911 and they gave our information to a deputy who later contacted my sister. When she made the report to the police, they told her that this is a scam going around in central Florida and the man behind it is trying to get the victim to pay money to save their family member's life by threatening them.
According to the deputy, all of the reported scam calls have come from the same number: 407-782-8615
I am going to be saving that phone number on my phone under the name "SCAM DO NOT ANSWER". The man has not been caught yet, but so far no one has been injured.
Please, if anyone claiming to be an EMT calls you saying that your family member has been in an accident, do not give them any information, do not give them any money and definitely don't go to meet them in person. It is best to hang up and report it (especially if it's the same number that I just listed).
On a side note, EMT's don't call family members at the scene of the accident. EMT's "load and go" and even the hospital would rarely contact family members. If it is a rare situation in which the patient could not speak and no identification was found on them he/she would be listed as a Jane Doe/John Doe until the family arrived. Registration at the hospital may contact the family in an event such as this (but definitely not an EMT asking for money and for you to meet with them in person).
I apologize for the length but I thought that it would be important to share this so I could help out someone in the future.