FRESNO, Calif. (FOX26) — A new phone scam is targeting families of people in the Fresno County Jail, with callers posing as sheriff’s officials and demanding money in exchange for a loved one’s release.
The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office says scammers are telling relatives that inmates can be released on an ankle monitor if family members send money through cryptocurrency or payment apps such as Zelle or Cash App.
Deputies said the scammer often targets relatives using information pulled from public jail booking logs.
The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office said it will never ask for payment over the phone through cryptocurrency or digital payment apps.
Attached is just one of the voicemail’s left behind from the scammer and the information the scammer used to weed out families to target.
Officials are urging anyone who receives one of these calls to hang up and report it immediately.