Skip to content

Caller scams farmworker by saying family was abducted by Mexican cartel

Man in Abbotsford sends $1,500 before finding out it was a lie
46754abbotsfordFarmer-Raspberry-Spray-1-jvp

A seasonal farmworker is out $1,500 after he received a phone call recently telling him that his family in Mexico had been abducted and they would be killed if he didn’t send money to a drug cartel.

The Abbotsford Police Department has since confirmed that the call was a scam, and they are now warning others to be wary of similar ploys.

Const. Ian MacDonald said the worker received the threatening call on Friday, May 6.

The caller, who knew personal information about the victim, demanded that the man send $3,000 as soon as possible in order to spare the lives of his family members.

The shaken worker then went to his employer and requested an advance on his pay, saying he had a family medical emergency in Mexico.

After the man had left and was arranging a wire transfer of the funds, his fellow workers told their employer what had really happened.

The boss called the Abbotsford Police Department and the Mexican consulate, but by the time they intervened, the worker had already sent half of the funds that had been demanded.

Meanwhile, the employee was able to reach his family members in Mexico, and they indicated they were all safe.

MacDonald said police have confirmed that the money was transferred to Mexico and that the caller spoke in Spanish, but they have been unable to trace the source of the call.

He said the caller either obtained information about the victim online or perhaps knew people who were familiar with the man.

Police advise that anyone experiencing a similar scam call them at 604-859-5225 or text abbypd (222973) to report it.



Vikki Hopes

About the Author: Vikki Hopes

I have been a journalist for almost 40 years, and have been at the Abbotsford News since 1991.
Read more