WCSO Warns Freeport Residents About Ankle Monitor Phone Scam Targeting Families of Arrested Individuals
The Walton County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents about a fast-moving extortion scam targeting families of recently arrested individuals, with scammers using real inmate information and spoofed phone numbers to demand fake GPS monitoring fees.
Freeport residents are among those who could be targeted, as the Walton County Sheriff’s Office provides primary law enforcement coverage for the city. The scam works by exploiting public arrest records and jail rosters. Scammers monitor online booking information, then look up the inmate’s family members and friends on social media or public databases. They call using spoofed Sheriff’s Office phone numbers and the names of real deputies, claiming the inmate can be released early due to overcrowding if the family pays a GPS ankle monitor fee immediately.
In the most recent report to WCSO, scammers attempted to extract $3,000 from the mother of someone who had been arrested. Victims are pressured to pay through methods that cannot be refunded — Venmo, Zelle, Cash App, Bitcoin, or prepaid gift cards. A graphic shared by the Sheriff’s Office specifically warns that scammers may direct victims to Bitcoin ATMs and ask them to send a barcode through a text or app.
Sheriff’s officials emphasize that law enforcement and detention employees will never call asking for immediate payments over the phone. Release conditions, including ankle monitors, are set by a judge and handled through official pretrial services or attorneys. No one would be asked to pay for an ankle monitor until the device is actually fitted.
WCSO advises anyone who receives such a call to hang up immediately and not provide banking information or continue the conversation. Residents should look up the publicly listed phone number for the Walton County Jail and call directly to verify a loved one’s bond status. The Sheriff’s Office also offers a scam reporting tool through its smartphone app, available under the “Scams” section.
The scam is not isolated to Walton County — WCSO notes it is happening in multiple counties across Florida. The warning comes as part of the Sheriff’s Office’s ongoing community outreach efforts to keep residents informed about emerging fraud schemes targeting the area.
Originally reported by the Walton County Sheriff’s Office.
