Attorney General: Kidnap calls are scam

The North Carolina Attorney General's office warned Tuesday about a scam in which callers claim to have kidnapped a child in order to con people out of cash.

Some residents of the Triad reported the scam to the state, saying they got calls in which they could hear what sounded like a child in the background pleading for help.

The attorney general's office said callers provided detailed information about the alleged kidnap victim and have targeted even parents of grown children. The callers use fear to prompt parents to pay up before they even check if their child has really been kidnapped, the attorney general said.

Authorities advise anyone who gets such a call to hang up and check whether their child is safe before taking other action.