Random calls from county jail - WWYD?

[boltfam]

nak - About a month ago, I started getting calls from some inmate from our county jail. I declined the charges, but I still got at least 4 calls. Last week, I had a message on my answering machine asking me to accept a call from a diff. county jail, but it sounds like the same guy. That jail had an option to block calls from their facility, so hopefully I won't hear from him again.

Is there anything else I should do? It kind of freaks me out.

[BabbyO]

Hmm....this is so weird and coincidental. The EXACT SAME THING started happening to me right around the beginning of the year...but at work. I've gotten 3 or 4 calls, but only been around to actually get the call once. The others were left on my VM after hours.

I was finally given the option to block calls from that number and haven't heard anything since. If it happens again, I may look into it more.

I hope you don't get anymore, though. Wish I had other advice.

[catsnkid]

Hopefully the dude has your number confused with someone else's. I would contact the jail.

[liamsmom]

I think this might be a scam. My 85-year-old grandmother received a call from someone who identified himself as my 18-year-old college freshman cousin. He said he was in jail and asked her to send the bail money, begging her not to tell his parents. She was really upset--although luckily she doesn't keep promises because she contacted my aunt right away. We think she was targeted by a Facebook tag.

I'm sorry I don't know more details about the call, but I have to think if people are getting more and more calls from people they don't know "in jail" that it's a current scam. Double check your FB privacy settings!

[edurnemk]

I think this might be a scam. My 85-year-old grandmother received a call from someone who identified himself as my 18-year-old college freshman cousin. He said he was in jail and asked her to send the bail money, begging her not to tell his parents. She was really upset--although luckily she doesn't keep promises because she contacted my aunt right away. We think she was targeted by a Facebook tag.

I'm sorry I don't know more details about the call, but I have to think if people are getting more and more calls from people they don't know "in jail" that it's a current scam. Double check your FB privacy settings!

:yeahthat: I've heard of a lot of stories like this one, and a few people have actually fallen for it.

[boltfam]

Hopefully the dude has your number confused with someone else's. I would contact the jail.

I think he does b/c we always get calls from collection agencies looking for another woman.

[Indianamom2]

We got one of these calls last week. I just assumed someone had dialed a wrong number (it was all automated and had the name of our local county jail). Now I wonder if it was a scam....

I didn't answer the phone, only played the message back.

[momm]

It can't be a scam if the call is actually from a jail. (I'm guessing you know that for sure from caller id/ an automated message)

If it's from someone pretending to be calling from a jail, only then can it actually be a scam.

I'm guessing wrong number, too.

I'd call the jail back, too, to figure it out and end the calls. Eeks. Creepy.

[boltfam]

It can't be a scam if the call is actually from a jail. (I'm guessing you know that for sure from caller id/ an automated message)


I'd call the jail back, too, to figure it out and end the calls. Eeks. Creepy.

Like you said, it is all automated, so I don't think it is a scam. I think he might be looking for the person who used to have my phone number, but I'm paranoid he could like google my number when he gets out and look me up. I'm probably totally overreacting, but it is unsettling to me.

I called both county jails. One didn't answer and I left a message. The person I talked to at the other co. jail said that inmates get bored and dial random numbers from their cell, and he just said to block the calls. I did, but I don't think this person is dialing a random number since I have gotten probably at least 10 phone calls. When I asked if he could do anything else, he said since they don't know who it is, they can't do anything. I hope it stops now.