In what is becoming an all too common narrative, the Washington County Sheriff’s Department has issued a warning about a phone scam targeting family members of those incarcerated at the Washington County Detention Center. As posted on their social media, scammers are posing as officers from the Washington County Indiana Sheriffs Department, claiming they can arrange the release of inmates for a fee. The deceit strikes at the heart of families, leveraging both their love and desperation in a ploy to extract money unscrupulously.
According to a statement obtained by the Washington County Indiana Sheriffs Department, these con artists go so far as to identify themselves as deputies, looking to capitalize on the anxiety that surrounds an incarcerated loved one. "The caller is targeting family members of people, who are incarcerated at the Washington County Detention Center," the Sheriff's Department warns. In this heinous scam, they attempt to convince individuals to pay a bond or a fee under the guise that it will lead to the inmate's release.
Local authorities are actively reminding the public that this is not how their processes work. "OUR DEPUTIES WILL NEVER CALL FAMILY MEMBERS OF INMATES AND ASK THE FAMILY MEMBER TO PAY A BOND OR A FEE TO RELEASE THE FAMILY MEMBER FROM JAIL," clarifies the Sheriff's Department. They underscore that the proper, and only, procedure for posting an inmate's bond requires someone to physically visit the Sheriff’s Department and do so there.
For anyone receiving such fraudulent calls, the department has a clear and simple directive – do not provide any information and hang up immediately. Additionally, they're asking the community to share the warning, to protect friends, family, and neighbors from falling prey to these scam artists. In such times, awareness can be as vital a tool as any in preventing victimization, and authorities hope that spreading the word will blunt the impact of these scams.
