Phone Scam Alert: Prison Inmates Targeting Residents

Los Angeles county officials are warning people to watch out for a jail inmate phone scam, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Residents have called the sheriff’s department, asking to speak with a specific deputy, detective or sergeant who called them. The deputy who answers the phone explains, however, that the named deputy does not exist or isn’t on duty, sheriff’s officials said. 

Earlier this year, a notice about a similar scam was publicly shared by the LASD, resulting in a drop in the number of victims targeted, according to Capt. Mike Parker of Sheriff’s Headquarters Bureau. Parker added that as was the case the last time around, “there has again been a sudden increase in reports of this scam.”

How The Scam Works

The calls start with a person claiming to be a deputy, officials said. The impersonator tells the victim that one of his or her family members is incarcerated or involved in an accident. Then the pretend deputy informs the victim that he or she is the emergency contact for the family member.

The imposter tells the victim to call a number that begins with *72 (*72-323-555-1212, for example) to get certain important information. The victim typically hangs up, dials the number given—only to be told it’s the wrong number.

Out of concern for the family member in question, the victim tends to calls Information (4-1-1) and asks for a sheriff’s department number and connects with a real deputy.

Victims Stuck With Scammer's Collect Calls

But because victims use prefix *72 to start the initial phone call, they inadvertently forward all their incoming calls to the scammer’s phone number, which includes collect calls from inmates who want to avoid paying for collect calls, sheriff’s officials said.

The victim receives the billing for the forwarded calls until the victim turns off call forwarding by dialing *73. But by then victims can be scammed out of money in collect-call fees before they know what happened.

If you have been targeted by this scam, and have already dialed a number beginning with *72, immediately call the California Public Utilities Commission Consumer Hotline at (800) 649-7570. Then contact your phone service provider to learn how to shut off automatic call forwarding.