For the last couple of years, scammers have found a way to extort money out of the elderly and vulnerable: jail records. Malicious actors work through jail records to find people who have been very recently incarcerated. They then locate their family members online and contact a potentially vulnerable loved one pretending to be a law enforcement official.
From here, the scammer asks for money for the release of the individual. Learning about the relative in jail scam and how to spot it can protect you and your loved ones.
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How the Relative in Jail Scam Works
Having a relative incarcerated is already a highly emotional and stressful event in anyone’s life. For older members of the family, it can be shocking, and they may hang out hope that a mistake has been made.
It’s this emotion that scammers play on. The relative in jail scam starts with a phone call, usually to an elderly or vulnerable relative of someone recently jailed. The scammer will pretend to be a sheriff or other law enforcement officer. They’ll say that there’s the option for the prisoner to be released on the condition that they’re electronically monitored. However, the catch is that the person they’re calling has to pay up to $2,000 immediately.
Other versions of this scam include AI-generated voices pretending to be a relative who has been arrested and needs bail, or a fake attorney asking for fees.
Don’t Get Scammed: Avoiding the Relative in Jail Scam
If you have a relative who has been recently jailed, it’s worth letting everyone in your family know about this type of scam. In particular, make sure you let loving grandparents, aunts, and uncles know, as they may feel particularly vulnerable and want to believe that there’s a way they can help their relative be released.
Remember to remind family members that:
- Law enforcement officials will never call and ask for money.
- There is no scheme where you can pay to have prisoners released.
- Lawyers will not cold-call random relatives and ask for money.
If you’re concerned that the individual themselves is calling, hang up and call them back on a number you have for them. Alternatively, call your local law enforcement agency and ask to speak to the person in question.
Stay Informed to Protect Yourself from Online Shop Scams
It’s natural to have hope when a loved one is in legal trouble. Wanting to find ways to help them or free them is exactly what scammers prey on. Keep yourself informed and always check that more vulnerable members of your family understand the situation so they’re less likely to fall prey to scammers.
Sign up for Scam Detector’s Scam Alerts, and you’ll get regular updates on what scams are currently targeting elderly and vulnerable people. The more you know, the better positioned you are to protect yourself and your family.
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When my sweet old grandmother got caught up in an Amazon gift card scam, I decided then and there that I needed to do whatever I could to inform as many people as possible about the grifters of the world. That’s what I do here – writing about modern scams so you don’t get caught out.
