EAST TEXAS (KLTV) – An East Texas man nearly lost $10,000 after receiving a scam call in which someone claimed his daughter had been kidnapped, according to Smith County Precinct 4 Constable Josh Joplin.
Joplin said the caller demanded $10,000 and instructed the man to go to the Walmart on Texas Highway 31 East to deposit the money into a machine.
“He heard a woman screaming in the background that he was almost positive was his daughter,” Joplin said.
The situation escalated at the store, Joplin said. The man became so shaken that he lost consciousness and was taken to the hospital. He is in stable condition, Joplin said.
The man did not deposit the money, and his daughter is safe.
“It’s a sad situation. It’s a terrible world that we live in today that people would even do that to someone,” Joplin said.
Imposter scams remain a major problem nationwide. The Federal Trade Commission reports Americans lost $3.5 billion to imposter scams in 2025.
Joplin said one common red flag is being told to use a money transfer or cryptocurrency machine.
“If you are seeing them telling you to take money to a MoneyGram machine or a bitcoin machine, you can almost guarantee that it’s a scam,” he said.
Other warning signs of a scam call include:
Calls from outside of the countryUnrecognizable phone numberCaller who makes you stay on the lineRequest for things like Pin number, account number, or verification codesImpersonation of a business or someone you may know
Joplin encourages anyone who receives a suspicious call to contact police and follow local law enforcement for updates on scam prevention.
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