Ohio police warn locals about new cellphone scam after woman reports scary incident, but the scenario’s drawing skepticism. What you need to know

"I heard a loud noise hit my car, like a rock or brick or something," the woman told News 5 Cleveland in Ohio. She initially didn’t give it much thought, but later that evening she noticed something unusual at her home.

“I heard a car pull up in front of my driveway, I looked out and it was a female and male approaching my porch," she said.

When the woman opened her bedroom window to speak with the strange visitors, one of them reportedly told her that she was in possession of the female visitor’s cellphone. Then two more cars pulled up in front of the house.

Scared and confused, the woman then called her brother, who is an officer with the Kirtland Police Department. Meanwhile, the mysterious visitors reportedly told the woman they had called the police, but then quickly left when she began dialing 911 for herself.

The next day, the woman was outside investigating her vehicle when she discovered a cellphone attached to the roof of her car with a magnet. And according to local police, this woman’s disturbing experience may not be an isolated incident.

Ohio police warn citizens of phone-magnet scheme

According to police, scammers and criminals are reportedly using magnets to attach cellphones to cars in order to stake out homes and commit burglaries.

“We were recently made aware of a scam that is being done,” wrote the Kirtland Police Department in a post shared on its Facebook page. “Criminals are attempting to attach a cellphone to newer model cars. They then use this cellphone to track where the person driving the vehicle lives.

“They knock on the door claiming the homeowner has their cellphone. Once the door is opened, they force entry into the residence — other vehicles are positioned in the street to assist in the home invasion as lookouts and getaway cars. The criminals will also tell the homeowner they called the police to try and get the homeowner to open the door.”

The KPD’s statement almost describes what happened to this unidentified Cleveland woman down to a T.

That sound she heard could have been the cellphone being placed on the roof of her car with a magnet. Then the strange visitors showed up at her house demanding the return of the cellphone, with the “lookouts and getaway cars” showing up shortly after.

The visitors even told the unidentified woman that they had called the police.

"The couple told her, well, we called the police. The police are enroute. You need to give us the cellphone,” said Joseph Gibson, the unidentified woman’s brother.

"The couple didn't put up an argument about the phone. They weren't really concerned anymore,” added Gibson, referring to the unwanted visitors taking off when his sister started dialing 911. “They just said, let's just go. And they got in the car. All three vehicles left, left the house.”