02/05/2026
Be on the lookout for this scam going around Kansas City
The Olathe Police Department has received two reports of a scam that is new to our community and is specifically targeting parents, grandparents, and other family members.
In both Olathe cases, a parent received a phone call from an unknown male claiming the parent’s child had been involved in a crash and was then kidnapped by the male caller. The caller used what appeared to be the child’s voice and demanded immediate payment, while making violent threats of harm if the demands were not met.
In both incidents in Olathe, the children were quickly confirmed to be safe, had not been involved in an accident, and no money was paid to the scammer.
Scams like this are becoming increasingly common. They are designed to exploit a parent’s natural instinct to protect their child, using fear, urgency, and threats to pressure victims into acting quickly without taking time to verify the information.
If you receive a call like this:
• Hang up immediately
• Verify the situation by contacting your child or another trusted family member
• Do not send money
• Call 911 right away
We also recommend setting up a secret code with your family, so if you receive a suspicious call, you can ask for the code to determine if the call is legitimate or a scam.
Please share this post to help inform and protect others in our community.
For more information about this type of scam, visit the Federal Communications Commission website:
https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/scam-alert/grandparent-scams-get-more-sophisticated