Scammers Target Families of Missing Flood Victims in Texas

Individuals posing as rescuers are calling the families of those missing after devastating floods in Texas, demanding payments in exchange for information about unaccounted-for children. Officials have warned that these malicious actors are making it difficult to determine the true number of missing persons.

“We’re dealing with scammers,” said Dalton Rice, the city manager of Kerrville, one of the hardest-hit areas. “Families are being contacted with false promises, claiming they have their loved ones and demanding money. It’s heartbreaking.”

Flood debris including a damaged truck and shopping carts in floodwaters. — A damaged truck and debris from the floodwaters in Kerrville, Texas. Photo by Eric Vryn/Getty Images

Authorities are overwhelmed with fake reports and hoax calls to hotlines dedicated to helping locate missing persons. The actual number of unaccounted-for individuals remains uncertain, as scam calls obscure the real figures.

“We don’t have a definitive number of missing people at this time,” Rice explained. “We know it’s significant, but fake calls complicate our efforts.”

Texas Senator Ted Cruz condemned the harassment of families, especially those of missing children from Camp Mystic—a girls’ summer camp that was destroyed after the Guadalupe River surged 27 feet in just 45 minutes. Ten children and a counselor are still unaccounted for.

An aerial view of the flooding in Kerrville. — An aerial perspective of flood devastation in Kerrville. LP Media

Cruise urged kindness and unity, emphasizing that now is the time to support each other rather than focus on political disputes. “Support each other, volunteer with local organizations,” he advised, sharing his emotional response to the tragedy as he hugged his children after learning about the floods.

More than 100 lives have been lost due to the floods, which affected the Texas Hill Country early Friday. Of the dead, 27 were children from Camp Mystic, which was overwhelmed after the river’s rapid rise. Search efforts continue for the remaining missing children and staff.

Muddy children's clothing hanging on a branch after a Texas flood. — Children’s clothes hanging on a branch near the Guadalupe River close to Camp Mystic. Photo by Jim Vondruska/Getty Images

Rescue teams have been actively searching flood-ravaged areas, with visual reports showing the extensive destruction in the region. Cruz also addressed conspiracy theories claiming that weather manipulation caused the flooding, emphasizing the lack of evidence supporting such claims.

“There’s zero credible evidence of weather modification being responsible,” Cruz stated, dismissing unfounded theories propagated online. “The internet can be a strange place, and some ideas just aren’t rooted in reality.”