BURKE COUNTY, N.C. — The Burke County Sheriff’s Office has issued a warning about scammers targeting the families of inmates at the county jail, posing as law enforcement or jail staff to request payments.
Scammers are contacting relatives of inmates and asking for money to cover bail, fines, fees, or ankle-monitoring costs, according to a release from the sheriff’s office.
The sheriff’s office clarified that jail staff will never call to request or collect bail money. Additionally, the Burke County Jail does not collect fines or fees from inmates upon release, nor does it operate an ankle monitoring program.
The sheriff’s office advises that if an inmate or their family is working with a bail bondsman, they should contact the bail agent using their publicly listed phone number. A list of verified numbers is available in the Burke County Jail lobby.
Anyone receiving a suspicious call should refrain from providing personal or financial information and should contact the Burke County Jail and Burke County Sheriff’s Office to report the incident.
VIDEO: Protecting yourself from text message scams
©2025 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/LH3JSJEF3VBLRJLJQESEAG34AM.png)
