Cuenca Ecuador: numerous individuals receive threats by telephone, demanding money

elmercurio.com.ec reported that Judicial Police in Cuenca have received eight official complaints from residents that they have received threatening phone calls from individuals demanding money.
1. Police believe that phone numbers were obtained from the telephone book.
2. Victims attest that phone calls stopped after notifying the authorities.
3. Police believe the calls may be coming from inmates in the men’s prison.
4. Police believe that items such as cellphones with changed chips enter the prison easily. The changed chips keep authorities from determining where the calls are coming from.
5. Authorities are aware of scams from abroad where individuals pretend to be family members and need money to get out of jail. However, no formal complaints have been filed. Read Article