A Solon man was conned out of $900 earlier this month after a scammer told him he was holding his father hostage with a gun to his head.
According to a Solon police report, the 22-year-old victim thought the scam was real because the caller knew his name.
The scammer told the victim to go to the nearest Walmart and wire the money to a person in Puerto Rico or his father would be killed. The victim, who was in Pennsylvania at the time, drove to the nearest Walmart and sent the money as requested. He paid a total of $911.50 for the transaction, including the service fee.
The victim told police the whole ordeal lasted around five hours. After he wired the money, the victim reached out to his father, who said he was not in any danger and had been at work.
