Newton woman receives fake hostage call

NEWTON, Mass. (WHDH) -- Shobha Menon was on the phone with her mother Saturday morning when her cell phone rang. The man on the other end of the line said he was holding her husband hostage after a car accident and wanted money to let him go.

Menon’s husband had just left for the gym ten minutes earlier, so she didn't know what to think.

"Every so often they keep telling me, ‘I’m going to kill him. I'm going to kill him. I'm going to kill him right now,’ What do you do?" asked Menon.

When the man told Menon to stay on the line and drive to the closest Western Union to wire money to Puerto Rico, she figured it was a scam.

To be absolutely sure though, she drove instead to the gym found her husband and then told the man on the phone he should be ashamed.

"I mean this is scary. Somebody calls and your loved one is in danger and they're asking you money. This is your kid, your husband. It's not easy," Menon said.

Newton police say another woman did wire the money about a week earlier. The scammers kept her on the phone for about five hours -- even getting her to try to wire more money until she finally got a hold of her husband and realized she had been fooled.

Now Menon wants to spread the word so no one else has to worry -- or even worse -- send money to these crooks.

"Let as many people as possible know about it. Because I don't think people should be fooled by these silly things. I don't think the crooks should get away with it," said Menon.

Newton Police said they believe the callers are targeting thousands of women.