A Brooklyn man says he is scared for his and his family's life after receiving frightening texts messages and calls.

The man, who wanted to keep his identity secret, says he received a text this week from an unknown number. The message says its from Pedro Villaguato, a reputed member of the Mexican drug cartel Zetas.

The message is demanding money, saying, "If you don't pay, you and a couple of your family member will lose their life." The sender also included gruesome photos.

"I'm actually shaking right now, and I have been since I received it," says the man.

The victim says he originally thought it was a scam, but then looked through it and saw that the sender listed his name, address, kids names and siblings names. He says he was initially too scared to go to the police, but after speaking to former Assemblyman Dov Hikind, he decided to file a police report.

They say police have told them he's not the only one to receive this message.

"It was meant to scare the daylights out of him, that he would just hand over money, plain and simple," says Hikind.

Hikind is hoping whoever is behind the threat is found and held responsible. The NYPD says they are actively investigating these incidents, and encourage anyone who has received those messages to immediately report it to police.