Warning to real housewives of suburban Boston about kidnap, ransom scam

(CBS) NEWTON, Mass. - Police are warning women in the Boston suburb of Newton about a new scam targeting wives: phone calls from men claiming to have kidnapped the women's husbands, and demanding ransom, CBS Boston reports.

On March 4, the station reports, one woman wired $1,200 to Puerto Rico after getting a call that her husband was in an accident with the caller and he would kill the husband unless someone paid for damages.

On March 9, Shobha Menon got a similar call.

"We want you to pay for the damages of the motorcycle and we have him here at our house and we've tied him up," Menon said.

Fortunately, Menon did not fall for it and refused to wire the $2,000 requested.

"They were trying to frighten me by screaming at the top of his voice saying 'I'm going to kill him, I'm going to kill him," Menon said. "Finally I said so OK, kill him."

In Menon's case, she knew her husband was at a local gym, according to CBS Boston.

Newton Police Lieutenant Bruce Apotheker says she did the right thing in contacting them right away.

Apotheker says it's frustrating because a lot of scams like the latest one are over state lines or from other countries.

He says to always call police if you think you're being scammed.