Scammers are working the phones in Claiborne County, calling relatives of people in the county jail and pretending to be sheriff's office employees, according to local officials. The pitch sounds urgent and official: send money to buy an ankle monitor so your loved one can be released. The Claiborne County Sheriff's Office says it is all a lie and wants residents to hang up, report the calls, and double-check anything involving an inmate directly with the jail.
Anyone who gets a suspicious call is urged to report it to dispatch at 423-626-1911 and to contact the Claiborne County Jail at 423-626-6262 with questions about an inmate.
What the sheriff's office says
In a Facebook post, the Claiborne County Sheriff's Office reported that callers are posing as sheriff's employees, targeting family members of current inmates and demanding money for ankle monitors. The office labels the scheme a scam and instructs anyone who receives one of these calls to notify dispatch at 423-626-1911.
Similar warnings across Tennessee
Nearly identical schemes are popping up across East Tennessee, according to regional reporting and law-enforcement alerts. Scammers have been demanding payment through money apps, gift cards, or cryptocurrency, and sometimes claim missed jury duty, fake arrest warrants, or bogus bond demands as the reason money is needed. WVLT has documented recent cases in which victims were pressured to pay, and coverage indicates the tactic is now widespread in the region.
How to spot and avoid the scam
Red flags include callers who demand immediate payment, insist on gift cards or payment apps, or pressure you not to hang up or verify the call. Scammers may spoof official phone numbers or use the names of real staffers to sound more convincing.
The Blount County Sheriff's Office has stressed that deputies do not call families to sell or arrange ankle monitors and do not collect money over the phone. Any legitimate bond or monitoring arrangement is handled in person or through standard, clearly identified channels.
What to do if you were targeted
If a caller claims to be from the Claiborne County Sheriff's Office and starts talking money, hang up and do not send anything. Instead, verify the situation by calling Claiborne County dispatch at 423-626-1911 or the Claiborne County Jail at 423-626-6262. Those numbers are listed on the Claiborne County Sheriff's Office website.
Keep any voicemails, texts, screenshots, or caller ID details. If you think you were targeted, you should also contact your bank or card issuer, then file a report with the Federal Trade Commission and the FBI's online complaint hub, the IC3.
Legal note
Under Tennessee law, impersonating a government employee in order to get money is a crime. The state's criminal impersonation statute makes it illegal to pose as a law-enforcement officer with the intent to defraud. The law is outlined in Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-16-301.
The Claiborne County Sheriff's Office is asking residents to spread the word about the scam and to contact dispatch if they have information about suspicious callers. Anyone who believes they have lost money is urged to report it quickly and contact local law enforcement so investigators can try to trace transactions and collect evidence.
