A Georgia sheriff says scammers are calling families and demanding cash to free a jailed relative. Real jails do not work that way, and the call is built to rush you.
The Burke County Sheriff's Office in Georgia is warning that scammers are phoning people and asking for money to get a family member out of the detention center. The sheriff's office says it never calls anyone to demand payment for a release. If a caller says otherwise, it is a scam.
According to WJBF, the sheriff's office says callers are claiming a loved one is in custody and that money is needed to free them. The agency says it will not call and ask for payment to release someone. The sheriff's office is asking people to share the warning so fewer families get caught off guard.
A call about a relative in jail hits hard. Fear makes people act fast, and scammers count on that. Pressure to pay right now is the main feature of this kind of call. Knowing that a real sheriff's office does not phone to collect release money takes away much of the scammer's power.
The warning comes from Burke County, so families and friends of anyone who might be in custody there are the most likely targets. But a phone scam is not limited by geography. Anyone with a phone could get a call like this, whatever county or state they live in.
The alert box above lays out the steps. The short version: hang up, send nothing, and check on your loved one through the sheriff's office using a number you find yourself, not one the caller gives you.
The sheriff's office has not said, in the material available, how many people have been called, whether anyone has lost money, or how the callers are getting names and numbers. Those details may come out later. For now, the advice is simple and applies to any call like this.
If a caller demands money to free a relative from jail, hang up and check with the sheriff's office using a number you look up yourself.
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