Coast Guard Appeals for Public Help in Solving Hoax SOS Calls

The U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service is seeking the public's help in identifying a hoax caller who made false distress calls over VHF Channel 16. The calls originated from a remote operated VHF radio tower in Vermont, and the caller claimed to be stranded in Portland, Maine and later in the middle of Maine. Transmitting false distress calls is a federal crime punishable by up to ten years in prison and fines. The Coast Guard takes this crime seriously as it compromises their mission of providing search and rescue assistance to those in need.