Families and friends of people locked up at the Toombs County Detention Center are being warned about scammers calling and demanding money using inmates’ names.
What’s happening: The Toombs County Sheriff’s Office said it received several complaints today about phone scams tied to the detention center.
- Callers use the name of a current inmate at the jail.
- They ask for money, claiming it’s needed for reasons connected to that inmate.
The sheriff’s office said detention center staff do not call and ask for money for any reason.
What this means for you: If you get a call that starts with someone using an inmate’s name and asking for money, the sheriff’s office says to hang up right away. Officials say law enforcement and jail staff will never call anyone by phone about a fine, a warrant, or a court date. Anyone who receives one of these calls should not send money and should not give out personal or financial information over the phone.
Scams targeting family members of jail inmates have been reported by sheriff’s offices in other parts of the state as a way for callers to pressure people into quick payments before they can check whether the request is real.
The path forward: The sheriff’s office asked residents to share the warning with family and friends to help stop more people from losing money to the scam. The office did not say how many complaints it received or whether anyone had lost money.
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
- B.T. Clark
- B.T. Clark
- B.T. Clark
- B.T. Clark
