TULSA, Ok — The Tulsa County Sheriff's Office is warning residents about a brazen phone scam targeting relatives of jail inmates, with scammers posing as bondsmen and demanding payments through mobile apps.
The fraudsters comb through public records to identify inmates, then contact their family members, claiming to be licensed bondsmen who can secure their loved one's release for immediate payment via Cash App, Venmo, or other digital payment platforms.
"Well, basically what's happening is that the scammers or just whoever they are, just contact the individuals in the community, trying to get people out of jail or saying that they're gonna get people out of jail for a monitary or for a certain amount of money and they'll tell them to Cash App for them or Venmo them or some kind of app to send them money and basically just, they'll send them money and they won't do anything. They won't get them out. They won't get the person out of jail. They're just scamming them out of money," said Mike Pugh, office manager at Rusty Roberts Bail Bonds.
The scam extends beyond simple theft, blocking desperate families from accessing legitimate help and undermining genuine bondsmen who are trying to provide proper services.
"They're basically saying that they're licensed bondsmen of the state and that they can get people out of jail and then, you know some bonds are pretty high value and if you pay somebody $2,500 then that money's just gone. They don't have it, and they can't go to an actual bondsman and pay that money to get their loved one out," Pugh said.
The Tulsa County Jail has received dozens of calls from potential victims reporting contact with people claiming to be bondsmen.
Ashley Aery from Doyle Davis Bail Bonds said her business is experiencing similar issues with scammers impersonating their services.
"Yes, it does hurt our business, you know, but the biggest part is they're taking advantage of people while they're going through a tough time. They're preying on individuals and you know what's going on with them and I think that's the biggest point and it's not fair to these people," Aery said.
Aery recommends a simple verification process: meet the bondsman in person, preferably at their office or the jail.
"The bondsman is going to be willing to meet their customer or the people that they're helping at the jail. The reason why is because we have to go there anyway to post the bonds. So, if you are in doubt, go to the office that they work at. Look it up online and verify that they are a legitimate bondsman, and then also you can meet them at the jail which is a safe place," Aery said.
If you receive a call about posting bond, authorities recommend hanging up, researching the bondsman online, and meeting in person rather than sending money through any mobile payment app.
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