COLUMBIA, S.C. — Richland County authorities have tied Georgia prisoners to an ongoing scam targeting local victims.
The Richland County Sheriff’s Department said its investigation began in October 2025 following a series of what it called “ruthless” scams that attempted to convince the victim that a relative was in jail.
Authorities said the perpetrators of these scams first collected public arrest records and used that information to construct a scam call targeting the victim. From there, authorities said the suspects used contraband cell phones from within Georgia prisons and pretended to be law enforcement or other people of authority…