Scammers Relentless Across Our Area

Scammers posing as Giles County Deputies calling unsuspecting citizens.

On February 5th, the Giles County Sheriff’s Department shared information about a scam involving electronic ankle monitors. Apparently, the scammers didn’t take the hint, because they’re once again trying to separate folks from their hard-earned money. Sheriff Joe Purvis, this morning said his Office has received multiple calls from concerned citizens reporting that they were contacted by someone claiming to be “Lt. Morrison” or “Lt. Johns” with our office. These callers are telling family members of incarcerated or recently released individuals that they must send anywhere from $500 to $1,215 to cover an ankle monitor placement fee. Sheriff Purvis said, “Let’s clear a few things up right away:
• We do not have a Lt. Morrison or Lt. Johns working here. (Nice try, though.)
• While we do work with an electronic monitoring company, they will not contact family members demanding payment out of the blue. If payment arrangements are needed, it is the responsibility of the family to reach out to the company, not the other way around.
Also important to know: if a GPS ankle monitor is required as a condition of release, it will be installed before the individual is released from custody. And just to say it plainly, no legitimate company is going to ask for payment through cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, gift cards, or anything else that sounds like it belongs in a scammer’s starter pack.”
If you receive a call like this, it is a scam. Hang up and call your local law enforcement agency.