Court officials in Boone County, Missouri, warn that scammers are calling inmates' families and selling fake house arrest releases for an upfront fee.
If someone you love is in the Boone County Jail, a call offering to get them out on house arrest for a fee is a scam. Court officials say scammers are using public jail rosters to find families and call them with this pitch.
The callers pose as jail staff, police officers or court officials. They claim your relative can be released with an electronic monitor if you pay upfront for an ankle bracelet. To sound real, they name actual judges and repeat booking details. They push for fast payment through Cash App, Venmo, cryptocurrency or store gift cards, which are very hard to trace or get back.
Court administrator Derek Hux of the 13th Circuit Court says court officials never make sales calls, never ask for payment by phone and never accept payment apps, prepaid cards, wire transfers or gift cards. So a real official will not make this offer. Anyone with no family member in the jail is unlikely to get this call.
The steps in the alert box above cover how to respond. The Boone County Sheriff's Office adds that you should call local law enforcement at a published number, never one the caller gives you.
The reports do not say how many families have been called, whether anyone has lost money, or who is behind the calls. Similar pitches could spread to other places.
A caller who wants quick payment to free a jailed relative is a scammer, so hang up and check using a number you look up yourself.
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