Verify before sending money
The Travis County Sheriff’s Office says it does not call relatives to collect bond payments. Residents who receive a suspicious demand should end the call and contact the office using its published number, 512-854-9770, rather than calling the number that appeared on their phone. The office also warns that callers may operate outside the county or abroad. Its guidance is available on the Sheriff’s Office website.
A reported Travis County case
A case reported by KXAN Austin shows how these demands can follow contact from jail. An Indiana woman told the station that about six hours after her son called her from jail, someone claiming to represent Travis County demanded money for a GPS monitor and alcohol classes. She said she lost $900 after sending two payments at a CVS. At the time of KXAN’s report, she had recovered half the money after complaining to the money-transfer companies and had not filed a police report. CVS told KXAN it was reviewing the incident.
KXAN reported that Sheriff Sally Hernandez said investigators did not believe the calls involved government insiders or local callers. She said publicly accessible jail information and other online sources could help scammers sound credible. The station also reported that Travis County Pretrial Services assistant director Daniel McCoy-Bae said no county employee had been implicated and that his office was working with county departments and law enforcement.
Similar reports in other counties
Milam County officials investigated nine similar incidents, including one in which a victim lost $10,000, according to the article’s account of local reporting. In a separate report, Fox 44 News described a caller posing as a deputy who sought payment through Cash App, Zelle, or Chime after claiming a relative had been arrested. The Milam County Sheriff’s Office said it would not make such calls or demand payment.
KWTX reported that McLennan County officials had multiple open cases and had received reports of similar activity in Limestone, Smith, Williamson, and Pecos counties. In one case, a woman whose husband had turned himself in was asked for $1,500 for a monitoring device and another $500 for classes. Her bank stopped the larger payment; the $500 was sent through a Chime account. Officials said callers used real employees’ names and spoofed the sheriff’s office number.
In Kentucky, a Kenton County woman told WLWT that a caller used her son’s booking details and sought $750 for release on an ankle monitor. After her son urged her to contact the detention center directly, staff confirmed the call was fraudulent.
Fraud totals leave the size of this scheme unclear
KXAN’s review of federal figures found more than 1 million imposter-scam reports nationwide last year. Texas logged more than 196,000 fraud reports involving over $1.1 billion in losses, including 57,000 imposter-scam reports; the Austin area recorded more than 33,000 scam reports. The station also reported that the Sheriff’s Office had received more than 1,100 fraud reports since the start of 2025 but did not track a category specific to this jail-call scheme.
KXAN noted that the FTC’s Consumer Sentinel Network listed 44 contributors in October, including 15 state attorneys general. The available figures therefore do not establish how many of the reported fraud cases involved these particular calls.
Where to report a suspected scam
For families who have already sent money, USAGov offers an online tool to help identify the agency or organization to contact about reporting a scam.
