Prison inmate scam targeting cellphones

Sheriff's departments across the US are warning that a new version of an old scam is popping up everywhere.

It concerns a phone scam. But this time it's no longer just the old kitchen phone ringing at dinner time: it could be your iPhone or Android.

Cell Phone Ringing

Jalaine Barth says her cell phone recently started ringing at all times of day, with strange phone calls from someone in a jail somewhere."At first I ignored it, but they kept calling repeatedly," Barth said. "They would go to voice mail, but they kept calling repeatedly.

After a while Barth decided to answer, worried a grandson may have been arrested. "I thought maybe it's a family member in trouble," she said.So she listened to the recording, which urged her to "press 1 to receive a collect call from an inmate".

Suspicious, she Googled the 912 phone number calling her, learned it was an area code from Georgia, and found complaints saying it was a scam.

How the Scam Works

Sheriff's departments across the country are warning that this scam -- which has targeted land line phones for years -- is now hitting cell phones too.

Inmates dial numbers, hoping to get someone to approve a collect call.

If you do, they hang up and then bill their long distance prison calls to your phone number.

Virginia Clemens has received similar calls, saying "over 3 months, I had people calling me as early as 8:00 in the morning, as late as 11:00 at night, didn't matter if it was on the weekend or holiday, I still got calls."

What You Can Do

Sometimes the automated caller asks you to press 1 or 2 to take the call, other times to hang up, then dial "72" followed by a number they give you.Either way, you will run up a huge collect call bill.

If you worry it's a family member, hang up and call some family members: Chances are they will all be home safe.

As always, don't waste your money

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