O/T: calls from the prison...scam???

[MeAnthony]

My lady has gotten several calls over the last few days on her cell phone. She usually doesn't answer for numbers that she doesn't know. The message left was "you have an emergency call from inmate...(switches to a recording too muffled to understand). Then states that there is a $9 fee to accept the call, etc. It does leave a number to which you can call back, and she did. It rings to an auto-answer service, sounds very official, gives several options to choose extension numbers for various individuals, and all that.

But...we don't know anyone who would be calling her from prison. Wasn't there some kind of scam going around a while back about this? You get billed for several thousand dollars of overseas calls or something like that?

Any information on this, or methods to look into it, is very appreciated.

Thank you,

Anthony

 

[jd b puller]

Sounds like a scam to me, unless you have relatives in prison... An Emergency? Where have they got to go?

Don't feel bad, I had a call this summer from a guy wanting to build a pulling tractor. I talked to him for a bit and explained the options and costs to him. He was all over the place. Back and forth, etc.

I stored him in my phone by name, with a note "nutcase"... When I googled the phone number it came from a Mental Hospital. Sometimes ya just gotta go with your gut feeling.

 

[Gun guru]

Do actually think this would be a legitimate call?

 

[John M]

I still think its a scam, but I was getting those once, turned out to be "legit". The prisoner was dialing the wrong number....

 

[MarkB_MI]

It might well be legit, but there's no way I will take a call from an inmate if I tell who it is. And I might not even then.

A relative went to jail a while back. We did receive a few calls; in every case we could clearly hear him say his name.

 

[Russ from MN]

Here is what I don't understand, why do prisoners have so much access to phones! They are in prison! Cable TV and free access to phones, no wonder so many are in! Just my rant for the day!

 

[greenbeanman in Kansas]

I understand that there is some way in which a long distance call recipient can not hang up after you have called, can signal the operator to be connected to a number elsewhere with that call cost then being placed onto your account.

I would keep a close eye on my account in case this is such a scam---and if that can indeed happen.

 

[Dieselbreath]

Probably legit but don't answer it unless you want a charge on your phone bill.
With out loser daughter (in and out of jail) and her loser friends (in and out of jail) calling collect we got tired of it and had the phone company put a collect call block on our phone#. Things are much quieter now.

 

[JOCCO]

Seems the scam was they use your number or place a call to it somehow. Maybe your girlfriend has an ex in the pen???? I would not answer it nor call back if she did not have anyone in the pen!!!

 

[oldtanker]

Seems several local people have ben caught in a scam. Most of em grand parents who get a official sounding call.....this is officer so and so your grand kid is in jail in another state or country and desperatly 10K for bail and gave me this number to call to see if you can help......wifes aunt got that call just a few days ago and hit the panic button.......her husband said wait, don't send anything.....call his cell first, Grand kid was at work.

Rick

 

[504]

It is a scam, and she is responsible for all charges to a cell phone. Get that phone turned off today.

 

[Billy Shafer]

It is a SCAM. Had that down here in Texas several years back. If I remember correctly. They can use your number to make calls. You get stuck with the bill. Cost a friend of mine over four hundred dollars.

 

[MarkB_MI]

The prison systems are making a FORTUNE off prisoner phone calls. The way it works is a private company is contracted to supply the equipment and handle the billing. They charge exorbitant fees for the service, which is not paid by the prison, or the prisoners, but rather the prisoners' relatives, many of whom really can't afford it. The prison takes a cut, and what they do with the money is their business, although you can be fairly certain it is not rebated to the taxpayers.

 

[bobs old iron]

because we have idiots running this country, tax the working to put luxury in the prisons....

 

[bobs old iron]

just about everyone i know i have entered in my phone, so if a strange number shows up, i don't answer, by the time it goes to voice-mail, they hang up figuring no one is going to answer,,,

 

[ShadetreeRet]

Call your phone company ASAP and report it, you may have to change your number.