New scam targets Beaufort Co. inmates and their family, promising early release from jail
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South Carolina has the seventh-highest rate of fraud cases in the U.S., and the state’s relatively high median age leaves residents especially vulnerable to scammers’ tactics. National data shows older adults are disproportionately affected by such crimes.
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The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office is warning the community about a new kind of scammer: one who targets people whose loved ones are in jail, or those who have just gotten out themselves. Lt. Eric Calendine says the department is aware of two incidents where a scammer, who has called victims from the same phone number, has used this new tactic.
On July 30, the brother of a man who had been confined at the Beaufort County Detention Center for allegedly failing to pay child support contacted police about a potential scam call he had received.
According to the incident report, the brother said both he and his wife had been contacted by a “Sgt. Strickland” and “Lt. Calendine” about getting his brother out of jail in exchange for bail money. According to spokesperson Master Sgt. Danny Allen, there is no one from the department with the name of Sgt. Strickland. The scammer told the brother if he obtained $1,200 and followed a set of instructions, his brother would be released from jail.
The scammer isn’t just in it for the money, either.
Another woman, who had just been released from jail on bond, received a call from the same scammer claiming to be Sgt. Strickland. She did not file a report with the sheriff’s department, but was sure to make them aware of her situation. The scammer told the woman she needed to set up an ankle monitor as a part of her bond and asked her to send photographs of her feet and ankles and a selfie. Eventually, the scammer asked the woman to send nude photographs, Calendine said.
Calendine suspects that the scammer is scouting his victims from publicly accessible jail logs or mugshot pages online.
The scammer has made contact with victims from the same phone number, which bears an area code from the Columbia area. Calendine said that these numbers are very difficult to track down. In an attempt to reach the phone number, the voicemail claims to be Calendine. Although the voice sounds official, the scammer has a much thicker southern accent than the real lieutenant.
Calendine urges the community to be wary of callers asking for payment over the phone, especially those asking for payment in gift cards, Venmo or Bitcoin. If you receive a message or call that feels suspicious, Calendine says to call the sheriff’s department.
Last March, the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office warned the community of a similar scam. “Our Detention Center does NOT call people seeking bail payments, and our Warrants Unit does NOT call people for money to resolve a warrant,” the sheriff’s office stated in a Facebook post.
In January, the South Carolina Department of Corrections issued a statement saying that scammers are “preying on families of inmates, pretending to be representatives of our agencies.” Specifically, the these scammers were asking for money in exchange for a “special ankle monitor,” which they claimed would release the loved one from prison early.
This story was originally published August 9, 2024 at 12:46 PM.
