The Hunt County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents about an ongoing scam involving callers falsely claiming to be connected to inmates at local correctional facilities.
According to the sheriff’s office, scammers are posing as jail staff, law enforcement officers, attorneys, or family members and friends of inmates. Callers claim an inmate urgently needs money for bail, phone minutes, medical expenses, legal fees, or other emergencies and pressure victims to send payment immediately.
Authorities say the callers often demand payment through gift cards, prepaid cards, mobile payment apps such as Cash App, Venmo, Zelle, or PayPal, or through cryptocurrency. Officials emphasize that these requests are fraudulent.
The sheriff’s office stressed that legitimate correctional facilities never request payments over the phone and do not ask for money to be sent via gift cards or mobile payment platforms.
Residents who receive such calls are advised to hang up immediately, avoid sharing personal or financial information, contact the correctional facility directly using an official phone number, and report the incident to local law enforcement.
