Police Warn Residents of Jail Scam

The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office released a statement Friday afternoon warning residents about a statewide scam that targets individuals who have family members in jail.

Callers have contacted family members by phone identifying themselves an officer from the sheriff’s office, said Lt. Jay Baker, spokesman from the sheriff's office. The caller then advises the family that if they put funds into a PayPal account their family member will be allowed to bond out of the jail.

"Citizens with family members in custody in the Cherokee Adult Detention Center should be advised that under no circumstances will an employee from the Cherokee Sheriff’s Office contact them and solicit funds for a bond," Baker said.

This scam has recently occurred in Chatham County.

A man claiming to be “Captain Whitehead” of the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office called the families of two female inmates Wednesday and tried to scam them, according to the Savannah Morning News.

In the first instance, thinking it would pay their daughter’s bond, a family put $900 onto a PayPal Green Dot MoneyPak card that the man quickly cashed. In the second case, another family received a call from “Captain Whitehead”, this time asking for $700, but the the family contacted the sheriff’s office before putting money onto a card and learned of the scam.

Officials urge anyone who receives a similar phone call to call 911 immediately and report it.