Scammers are calling families of people recently arrested and incarcerated in the Franklin County Jail, claiming they can arrange a loved one's release in exchange for immediate payment.
The Franklin County Sheriff's Office issued an alert on Oct. 28 describing the scheme as ongoing. The callers typically promise placement into a diversion program, probation or electronic monitoring, such as an ankle bracelet, according to the alert. The caller often pressures the victim to act quickly.
Scammers request payment through gift cards, prepaid debit cards, wire transfers or other hard-to-trace methods, the Sheriff's Office said. In some cases, they also try to obtain sensitive financial information, including bank account or credit card details.
To sound credible, the callers impersonate law enforcement, Sheriff's Office employees, court officials or other government representatives. They may use publicly available arrest information, such as online court records, to make their claims appear legitimate, according to the alert.
The Sheriff's Office stressed three points: the agency will never call to request payment in exchange for someone's release from jail; legitimate fines, bonds or fees are handled through official channels and never collected via gift cards or unsolicited phone calls; and requests for secrecy, urgency or unusual payment methods are strong indicators of a scam.
The sheriff’s alert follows a separate Oct. 22 warning from the City of Upper Arlington about fraudulent invoices and fake emails targeting permit applicants. The city said it will never request payment by wire transfer and urged residents to verify unexpected invoices with its Finance Department using contact information from the city’s official website.
Anyone who receives a suspicious jail-release call should hang up and avoid giving money or personal information. The Sheriff's Office advises verifying a loved one's status by contacting the jail or court directly through official phone numbers. The agency asks that incidents be reported to the Franklin County Sheriff's Office.
