Charleston Co. deputies warning of bail scam

CHARLESTON COUNTY, S.C. (WCSC) - The Charleston County Sheriff’s Office wants you to not be fooled by a recent scam involving bail payments.

People have been called by scammers impersonating Charleston County deputies.

The sheriff’s office says they are tricking people to pay money to get their loved ones out of jail.

“Our Detention Center does NOT call people seeking bail payments, and our Warrants Unit does NOT call people for money to resolve a warrant,” the sheriff’s office stated in a Facebook post.

If you’ve fallen victim to a scam in Charleston County, you can report it to the sheriff’s office at 843-202-1700.

Below are some tips deputies shared on how to deal with scammers:

• Don’t make an emotional decision. Slow down. Take a breath. Hang up. Ignore the message. Block the call.
• Be skeptical. Scammers may use real CCSO employee names, spoof real law enforcement phone numbers or create legitimate-looking email addresses. Don’t trust your caller ID. Don’t click any links!
• Be careful. Do not give any caller your personal information, such as your full name, address and social security number, even if they already have some of those details.
• Add protection. When using payment apps, turn on the “for purchases” slider if you don’t know the recipient or if you’re paying for goods or services. This tacks on a 3% fee for the recipient but adds protection for the payer, including full refunds of disputed transactions.
• Research first. If you’re concerned about the potential predicament described by the caller, make independent inquiries to determine if it’s real (spoiler: it’s likely not).

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