The Benton County Sheriff’s Office warns residents of a scam that targets the families of people in its custody.
The office has received multiple calls from people who have family members in custody who claim they received a call that their loved one would be released with an ankle monitor after a $3,000 payment.
“Our staff will never contact a loved family member asking for money to release an [adult in custody] or anyone else that we’ve had interactions or are in contact with. And if you receive a call like this, you need to hang up and call the non-emergency number,” said Benton County Sheriff Jef Van Arsdall.
The non-emergency number for the Benton County Sheriff’s Office is (541) 766-6858.
When it comes to items such as posting bail, Van Arsdall said that is done through the court.
"That would be with a judge, court staff and the Department of Justice who are housed here in the Benton County Courthouse and every courthouse across the state of Oregon. It would never have anything to do with a sheriff’s employee," he said.
Officials speculate that the scammers appear to be gathering information about inmates via the online jail roster.
They say anyone who receives a call that might be a scam should take note of the name the person gave, hang up, call the sheriff’s office and ask to speak with that person.
