YORK COUNTY, S.C. — Families with a loved one in the York County Detention Center are the latest target of a scam deputies are warning about.
On Wednesday, the York County Sheriff's Office said scammers who appear to be from the Columbia and Charleston areas were contacting inmates' families while pretending to be deputies. The scammers reportedly claim that families can send them money to bail out a loved one.
Additionally, deputies said the scammers have also posed as representatives from the York County Magistrate's bond court or the jail, falsely offering to sell ankle monitors for bail purposes. The sheriff's office notes it does not have ankle monitors or sell them, as ankle monitors are provided by bail bondsmen as part of bond conditions when required.
Another tactic involves an emergency appeal. The sheriff's office said scammers have falsely claimed to families their loved one had a health emergency at the jail and that bonding them out will help avoid danger.
Deputies said the scammers are able to visit the inmate listing page on its website to find the names of inmates before tracking down relatives' contact information. They then demand money paid to them via Cash App, Venmo, PayPal, or gift cards.
The sheriff's office notes that citizens cannot buy their way out of an arrest warrant and that deputies do not demand money over the phone for any reason. Anyone who gets such a call is urged to hang up immediately.
Families who have a loved one incarcerated at the jail are asked to call (803) 628-3080 to talk with a real detention center representative if there are genuine concerns about that person's welfare.
Here are some tips to avoid becoming a victim of a scam:
Emotional appeal - Any pitch that ratchets up your emotion will inhibit your rational judgment.
Sense of urgency - You MUST act now, or else.
Request for unorthodox payment - Gift cards, prepaid credit cards, wire transfers, etc.
Explanations that don't ring true - If your new “landlord” can’t show you the inside of the house, that could be because they don’t own it.
You won, now pay up - It’s not a prize if you have to pay for it. Taxes, fees, shipping, whatever.
Too good to be true - That’s because it’s not true. Sorry, your long-lost relative didn’t die, leaving you millions. That car you bought online for a third of its Kelly Blue Book value doesn’t really exist. The son of a billionaire diamond broker didn’t “swipe right” on you and fall instantly in love. That work-at-home job paying you hundreds of dollars an hour for stuffing envelopes isn’t real.