The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office announced on May 11 that scammers are targeting families and friends of people currently incarcerated at the Monterey County Jail.
The warning is important because it aims to prevent community members from falling victim to a new fraud scheme involving false promises of early release for inmates in exchange for money.
Sheriff Tina Nieto said, “Our agency has been made aware that family members of persons who are currently incarcerated at the Monterey County Jail are receiving phone calls from persons identifying themselves as employees of the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office.” According to Nieto, callers claim that due to “overpopulation at the jail,” inmates can be released by paying $1,200 bail with an ankle bracelet followed by weekly payments or a flat $1,800 payment for release with a watch monitoring device. The caller instructs potential victims to make payments at local pharmacies or retail stores, stating that the jail’s payment kiosk is out of service.
Nieto emphasized, “The Monterey County Jail does not have an early release program, and we will never request payment of any type to be made at local retail stores for any reason. It is likely that scammers are looking at the public jail log which contains the names of people incarcerated at our jail and are then targeting family members in an attempt to steal their money.”
She further stated, “It is important that we alert families of those who have loved ones in our jail so that they do not fall victim to this new scam. It is especially important that we let our more vulnerable and senior family members know so that they do not get taken advantage of by these individuals who are attempting to steal their money.”
Authorities said there have been no confirmed reports yet of anyone losing money but believe multiple attempts have occurred. The sheriff’s office thanked those who reported suspicious calls and urged anyone uncertain about such calls’ legitimacy to hang up and contact Monterey County Jail directly.
