New Iberia Kidnapping Report Turns Out To Be Scam

NEW IBERIA, La. (KPEL) -- A report of a possible kidnapping in New Iberia turned out to be a routine scam, according to deputies with the sheriff's office.

Capt. Ryan Turner with the Iberia Parish Sheriff's Office said police responded to a location on East Admiral Doyle Drive in reference to a possible kidnapping.

Turner said the person who reported the kidnapping "received a phone call from an out of state phone number where the caller demanded money in exchange for a relative who the caller claimed was kidnapped."

The phone call turned out to be a scam, Turner said, in an effort to "defraud money from the victim."

The sheriff's office is urging anyone who thinks they may have been a victim of a similar scam to immediately reach out to authorities.