Scammers are calling family members of inmates at the Tulsa County Jail, pretending to be bondsmen. They claim they can get a loved one out of jail, but only if the family pays money over the phone.
“We started getting these calls earlier in the week,” said Major Marcus Berry, Assistant Jail Administrator. “Basically it’s a family member calling and saying, ‘Hey, someone called me and told me if I paid them money, they would bond my loved one out.’”
How do scammers find families to target?
Scammers use publicly available information. The Tulsa County Jail’s new jail management system updates inmate information in real time. Once someone is booked, their name and basic info are visible online. From there, scammers use online tools to search for addresses and phone numbers of family members, then call pretending to help.
Why do people fall for it?
Because it preys on emotion.
“The first thing anybody wants to do is to get their loved one out of jail,” Berry said. “So the quickest way to do that is to get them bonded out.”…