Police in Metro Detroit warn of scammers demanding ransom, claiming victim's family member held at gunpoint
Authorities said the two residents reported getting a "spoof call," or a call when the number on display is the same number associated with the family member. They said an unknown person would request ransom through Zelle or Venmo.
"Please do not send any money to anyone and attempt to get in contact with the individual the suspect claims to have. Stay vigilant and call the Birmingham Police Department immediately if you are concerned about a resident's welfare and report any suspicious activity/fraud to Birmingham Dispatch at 248-530-1870," police said in a social media post.
Earlier this month, the Waterford Police Department said some residents reported receiving a call from someone claiming to be an officer and telling the victim that they missed jury duty.
In that incident, police advised residents to hang up and not engage with the scammer. Residents should also delete any text messages and emails that they are not familiar with and spread the word to family members, specifically elderly people.
According to the Federal Trade Commission, Americans reported losing $12.5 billion in 2024 due to fraud. An AARP study released in April 2025 found that more than 100 million people in the U.S. lost money due to fraud or personal information being used.
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Yahoo
3 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Volunteers flock to immigration courts to support migrants arrested in the hallways
SEATTLE (AP) — After a Seattle immigration judge dismissed the deportation case against a Colombian man — exposing him to expedited removal — three people sat with him in the back of the courtroom, taking his car keys for safe-keeping, helping him memorize phone numbers and gathering the names of family members who needed to be notified. When Judge Brett Parchert asked why they were doing that in court, the volunteers said Immigration and Custom Enforcement officers were outside the door, waiting to take the man into custody, so this was their only chance to help him get his things in order. "ICE is in the waiting room?" the judge asked. As the mass deportation campaign of President Donald Trump focuses on cities and states led by Democrats and unleashes fear among asylum-seekers and immigrants, their legal defenders sued this week, seeking class-action protections against the arrests outside immigration court hearings. Meanwhile, these volunteers are taking action. A diverse group — faith leaders, college students, grandmothers, retired lawyers and professors — has been showing up at immigration courts across the nation to escort immigrants at risk of being detained for deportation by masked ICE officials. They're giving families moral and logistical support, and bearing witness as the people are taken away. The Northwest Immigrant Rights Project was inundated by so many community members wanting to help that they made a volunteer training video, created 'Know Your Rights' sheets in several languages and started a Google sheet where people sign up for shifts, said Stephanie Gai, a staff attorney with the Seattle-based legal services non-profit. 'We could not do it without them," Gai said. 'Some volunteers request time off work so they can come in and help.' Robby Rohr, a retired non-profit director said she volunteers regularly. 'Being here makes people feel they are remembered and recognized,' she said 'It's such a bureaucratic and confusing process. We try to help them through it.' Recording videos of detentions to post online online Volunteers and legal aid groups have long provided free legal orientation in immigration court but the arrests have posed new challenges. Since May, the government has been asking judges to dismiss deportation cases. Once the judge agrees, ICE officials arrest them in the hallways and put them in fast-track deportation proceedings, no matter which legal immigration pathway they may have been pursuing. Once in custody, it's often harder to find or afford a lawyer. Immigration judges are executive branch employees, and while some have resisted Homeland Security lawyers' dismissal orders in some cases, many are granted. Masked ICE agents grabbed the Colombian man and led him into the hallway. A volunteer took his backpack to give to his family as he was taken away. Other cases on the day's docket involved immigrants who didn't show up. Parchert granted 'removal in absentia' orders, enabling ICE to arrest them later. When asked about these arrests and the volunteers at immigration courts, a senior spokesperson with the Department of Homeland Security said ICE is once again implementing the rule of law by reversing 'Biden's catch and release policy that allowed millions of unvetted illegal aliens to be let loose on American streets." Some volunteers have recorded arrests in courtroom hallways, traumatic scenes that are proliferating online. How many similar scenes are happening nationwide remains unclear. The Executive Office for Immigration Review has not released numbers of cases dismissed or arrests made at or near immigration courts. While most volunteers have done this work without incident, some have been arrested for interfering with ICE agents. New York City Comptroller and Democratic mayoral candidate Brad Lander was arrested after locking arms with a person in a failed attempt to prevent his detention. Lander's wife, attorney Meg Barnette, had just joined him in walking migrants from a courtroom to the elevator. Helping families find their relatives as they disappear The volunteers' act of witnessing has proven to be important as people disappear into a detention system that can seem chaotic, leaving families without any information about their whereabouts for days on end. In a waiting room serving New York City immigration courtrooms, a Spanish-speaking woman with long dark curly hair was sitting anxiously with her daughter after she and her husband had separate hearings. Now he was nowhere to be found. The Rev. Fabián Arias, a volunteer court observer, said the woman whose first name is Alva approached him asking 'Where is my husband?' She showed him his photo. 'ICE detained him,' Arias told her, and tried to comfort her as she trembled, later welling up with tears. A judge had not dismissed the husband's case, giving him until October to find a lawyer. But that didn't stop ICE agents from handcuffing him and taking him away as soon as he stepped out of court. The news sparked an outcry by immigration advocates, city officials and a congressman. At a news conference, she gave only her first name and asked that her daughter's be withheld. Brianna Garcia, a college student in El Paso, Texas, said she's been attending immigration court hearings for weeks where she informs people of their rights and then records ICE agents taking people into custody. 'We escort people so they're not harassed and help people memorize important phone numbers, since their belongings are confiscated by ICE," she said. Paris Thomas began volunteering at the Denver immigration court after hearing about the effort through a network of churches. Wearing a straw hat, he recently waited in the midday heat for people to arrive for afternoon hearings. Thomas handed people a small paper flyer listing their rights in Spanish on one side and English on the other. One man walking with a woman told him 'thank you. Thank you.' Another man gave him a hug. Denver volunteer Don Marsh said they offer to walk people to their cars after court appearances, so they can contact attorneys and family if ICE arrests them. Marsh said he's never done anything like this before, but wants to do something to preserve the nation's 'rule of law' now that unidentifiable government agents are 'snatching' people off the streets. 'If we're not all safe, no one's safe,' he said. __ Attanasio reported from New York City and Slevin from Denver.
CNN
35 minutes ago
- CNN
Here's what we know about the East Hollywood nightclub incident
A lively night outside a bustling East Hollywood nightclub took a devastating turn early Saturday when a car barreled through a crowded sidewalk, injuring at least 30 people, including seven critically. The crash occurred outside The Vermont Hollywood, where 29-year-old Fernando Ramirez had been kicked out for being disruptive before police say he drove his car into the crowd. The suspect was beaten and shot by bystanders after the crash and is now in custody, facing potential charges including attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon, police said. Video footage after the crash showed blood on the street and injured patrons sprawled on the pavement as first responders provided aid, with some victims carried away on stretchers. Police cordoned off the area as investigators worked to piece together the sequence of events. The crowd had gathered outside for valet services, food stands and entry to the nightclub. A taco stand and valet podium were among the structures hit, but the venue itself sustained no structural damage, officials said. Ramirez, who remains hospitalized, was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, but a motive has not yet been identified, a Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson told CNN. Here's what we know so far, as investigators piece together what happened that night: The crash occurred around 2 a.m. local time, as patrons were leaving The Vermont Hollywood, located just west of the famed Sunset Junction in the Silver Lake district. 'A driver veered onto the sidewalk and struck multiple individuals,' the venue said in a statement. The club was hosting a reggae-hip hop event from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., according to its online calendar. A fight broke out outside the club before the crash, Maria Medrano told the Associated Press. The car hit a hot dog stand operated by Medrano and her husband, who narrowly escaped injury. 'The car stopped once it hit the hot dog stand; it got stuck there,' Medrano told the AP from the hospital. 'If not, I wouldn't be here to tell' the story. Police initially responded to reports of an assault with a deadly weapon but arrived to find the car had plowed into the crowd 'for reasons unknown,' with bystanders assaulting the driver, authorities said. The suspect was 'immediately taken into custody by the LAPD, and an investigation is currently underway,' the venue said. The driver had been kicked out of The Vermont Hollywood for being disruptive prior to the incident, Los Angeles Police Department Captain Ben Fernandes told the Los Angeles Times. 'From review of the video, he went up to the sidewalk further down and when he hit bystanders, it was an intentional act,' Fernandes told the LA Times. After the crash, bystanders pulled the driver from the vehicle and began assaulting him, according to Jeff Lee, a public information officer with the LAPD. During the altercation, one of the bystanders shot the driver, Lee said. First responders discovered the gunshot wound during a secondary assessment, said Capt. Adam VanGerpen, public information officer for the Los Angeles Fire Department. The suspect, who police believe was intoxicated, was taken to the hospital for surgery, a law enforcement official briefed on the situation previously told CNN. Authorities have found no evidence to suggest the incident was connected to terrorism or motivated by criminal intentions beyond the driver's impaired state, a law enforcement official said. The man who police believe shot Ramirez reportedly fled the scene wearing a blue jersey, officers said. Police believe he used a silver revolver in the shooting. A massive emergency response team of 124 firefighters responded to the crowded scene, treating and transporting victims to trauma centers and nearby hospitals, the LAFD said. 'Many people were lined up at the valet podium, coming out of the nightclub, and gathered around the food stands,' said LAFP public information officer Erik Scott. Seven victims were hospitalized in critical condition, six in serious condition, and 10 in fair condition. An additional seven people declined transport after being evaluated at the scene. The victims, ranging in age from their mid-20s to early 30s, included 18 women and 12 men, according to the LAPD. Most injuries were from broken bones and soft tissue trauma, but one victim also suffered a gunshot wound. 'We're very fortunate there were no deaths … When you have 30 individuals injured and seven critical. We're very appreciative of the coordinated effort of our public safety partners and we remain committed to supporting the victims in the community,' Scott said. Scott commended the efforts of bystanders, many of whom stepped in to help injured strangers. 'People were helping each other out,' VanGerpen said. 'People were waiting to go inside there (the nightclub), they're ordering tacos, so they're seeing people that they don't even know are injured. They're stepping in to help them out.' Videos taken after the crash show bystanders helping victims, some of whom were still bleeding on the pavement as they waited for aid. Mayor Karen Bass called the incident a 'heartbreaking tragedy' and praised the swift response of more than 100 police and fire personnel. 'The hearts of Angelenos are with all of the victims impacted this morning — a full investigation into what happened is underway.' CNN's Julia Vargas Jones, Emma Tucker, Josh Campbell, David Williams and Lauren Mascarenhas contributed to this report.
Associated Press
35 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Volunteers flock to immigration courts to support migrants arrested in the hallways
SEATTLE (AP) — After a Seattle immigration judge dismissed the deportation case against a Colombian man — exposing him to expedited removal — three people sat with him in the back of the courtroom, taking his car keys for safe-keeping, helping him memorize phone numbers and gathering the names of family members who needed to be notified. When Judge Brett Parchert asked why they were doing that in court, the volunteers said Immigration and Custom Enforcement officers were outside the door, waiting to take the man into custody, so this was their only chance to help him get his things in order. 'ICE is in the waiting room?' the judge asked. As the mass deportation campaign of President Donald Trump focuses on cities and states led by Democrats and unleashes fear among asylum-seekers and immigrants, their legal defenders sued this week, seeking class-action protections against the arrests outside immigration court hearings. Meanwhile, these volunteers are taking action. A diverse group — faith leaders, college students, grandmothers, retired lawyers and professors — has been showing up at immigration courts across the nation to escort immigrants at risk of being detained for deportation by masked ICE officials. They're giving families moral and logistical support, and bearing witness as the people are taken away. The Northwest Immigrant Rights Project was inundated by so many community members wanting to help that they made a volunteer training video, created 'Know Your Rights' sheets in several languages and started a Google sheet where people sign up for shifts, said Stephanie Gai, a staff attorney with the Seattle-based legal services non-profit. 'We could not do it without them,' Gai said. 'Some volunteers request time off work so they can come in and help.' Robby Rohr, a retired non-profit director said she volunteers regularly. 'Being here makes people feel they are remembered and recognized,' she said 'It's such a bureaucratic and confusing process. We try to help them through it.' Recording videos of detentions to post online online Volunteers and legal aid groups have long provided free legal orientation in immigration court but the arrests have posed new challenges. Since May, the government has been asking judges to dismiss deportation cases. Once the judge agrees, ICE officials arrest them in the hallways and put them in fast-track deportation proceedings, no matter which legal immigration pathway they may have been pursuing. Once in custody, it's often harder to find or afford a lawyer. Immigration judges are executive branch employees, and while some have resisted Homeland Security lawyers' dismissal orders in some cases, many are granted. Masked ICE agents grabbed the Colombian man and led him into the hallway. A volunteer took his backpack to give to his family as he was taken away. Other cases on the day's docket involved immigrants who didn't show up. Parchert granted 'removal in absentia' orders, enabling ICE to arrest them later. When asked about these arrests and the volunteers at immigration courts, a senior spokesperson with the Department of Homeland Security said ICE is once again implementing the rule of law by reversing 'Biden's catch and release policy that allowed millions of unvetted illegal aliens to be let loose on American streets.' Some volunteers have recorded arrests in courtroom hallways, traumatic scenes that are proliferating online. How many similar scenes are happening nationwide remains unclear. The Executive Office for Immigration Review has not released numbers of cases dismissed or arrests made at or near immigration courts. While most volunteers have done this work without incident, some have been arrested for interfering with ICE agents. New York City Comptroller and Democratic mayoral candidate Brad Lander was arrested after locking arms with a person in a failed attempt to prevent his detention. Lander's wife, attorney Meg Barnette, had just joined him in walking migrants from a courtroom to the elevator. Helping families find their relatives as they disappear The volunteers' act of witnessing has proven to be important as people disappear into a detention system that can seem chaotic, leaving families without any information about their whereabouts for days on end. In a waiting room serving New York City immigration courtrooms, a Spanish-speaking woman with long dark curly hair was sitting anxiously with her daughter after she and her husband had separate hearings. Now he was nowhere to be found. The Rev. Fabián Arias, a volunteer court observer, said the woman whose first name is Alva approached him asking 'Where is my husband?' She showed him his photo. 'ICE detained him,' Arias told her, and tried to comfort her as she trembled, later welling up with tears. A judge had not dismissed the husband's case, giving him until October to find a lawyer. But that didn't stop ICE agents from handcuffing him and taking him away as soon as he stepped out of court. The news sparked an outcry by immigration advocates, city officials and a congressman. At a news conference, she gave only her first name and asked that her daughter's be withheld. Brianna Garcia, a college student in El Paso, Texas, said she's been attending immigration court hearings for weeks where she informs people of their rights and then records ICE agents taking people into custody. 'We escort people so they're not harassed and help people memorize important phone numbers, since their belongings are confiscated by ICE,' she said. Paris Thomas began volunteering at the Denver immigration court after hearing about the effort through a network of churches. Wearing a straw hat, he recently waited in the midday heat for people to arrive for afternoon hearings. Thomas handed people a small paper flyer listing their rights in Spanish on one side and English on the other. One man walking with a woman told him 'thank you. Thank you.' Another man gave him a hug. Denver volunteer Don Marsh said they offer to walk people to their cars after court appearances, so they can contact attorneys and family if ICE arrests them. Marsh said he's never done anything like this before, but wants to do something to preserve the nation's 'rule of law' now that unidentifiable government agents are 'snatching' people off the streets. 'If we're not all safe, no one's safe,' he said. __ Attanasio reported from New York City and Slevin from Denver.
