Scammers sell fake ankle monitors to families of jail inmates

Scammers are calling families of people held in the West Feliciana Parish jail in Louisiana and demanding money for ankle monitors that do not exist. The callers say they represent the Sheriff's Office and claim the monitor is required before a loved one can be released.

How the scam works

Sheriff Brian Spillman said in a statement Friday that his office neither requires nor provides ankle monitoring services. The calls come from out of state. The Sheriff's Office says the scammers use online reporting tools to find the families of inmates.

The calls can look real. Scammers often fake the caller ID so it seems to come from a Sheriff's Office number. They have even used the name of an actual deputy. Spillman said the calls are not legitimate and told people to ignore the high-pressure threat and hang up immediately.

The scam works because a worried family wants to help fast. The sheriff said his office does not ask for payments over the phone. It also does not accept Venmo, CashApp, Green Dot or other peer-to-peer transfers. Spillman called the scheme "another example of criminals taking advantage of people at a very vulnerable time."

What is not known

Spillman said his office is working with state and federal law enforcement partners to track down those responsible. The statement does not say how many families have been called, whether anyone has paid, or who is behind it. It also does not say whether other jails are seeing the same calls.

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