The Catholic Schools Office of the Archdiocese of Washington Issues Child Safety Notice

The Catholic Schools Office of the Archdiocese of Washington has become aware of a disturbing scam being conducted via telephone recently and has issued the following statement:

"An unidentified individual has called parents, claimed to have kidnapped a child of theirs, and demanded ransom. In both cases we are aware of – one involving a parent at an archdiocesan school, and the other a parent at a local private school – the claims have been false, with the children safe and accounted for. In one of the cases, the caller purported to put the kidnapped child on the phone and have her ask for help. If you receive a call like this, please call the police immediately.

As with all matters involving children, we strive to always be diligent to keep our schools safe and secure. As a follow-up to the incident today involving one of our archdiocesan schools, the Office of Child and Youth Protection responded immediately to support the parent and school leadership in completing a police report on the occurrence.

As always, the safety of your children remains our highest priority.