14 DAY TRIAL // The Shelby County Sheriff's Office is warning Shelby County Jail inmates and their families that scammers are trying to trick them into handing over money with the aid of a fake Facebook page.
The page in question purports to be the official Shelby County Jail Facebook one and claims that people can use their services to send money to prisoners, WBRC informs.
However, the money sent via the service doesn’t go to them. Instead, the scammers keep it for themselves.
“They are not authorized to receive funds to be placed in an inmate's account. Furthermore they are not part of the mechanism where they can do it legitimately,” said Sgt. Russell Bedsole.
Police learned of the fake Facebook page after being contacted by the family members of a convict who had sent money through the site to pay for the person’s food. The money didn't reach him.
The site also posts mugshots of prisoners and demands the payment of a fee to have them taken down. Bedsole says this isn’t illegal, but the fact that they ask for money that will allegedly go to inmates is.