McPherson man loses $12K in bail bond scam
WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - The McPherson Police Department is warning people not to fall for phone scams where individuals call claiming to be family members in need of money. The warning comes after a resident lost $12,000 to scammers.
On Aug. 6, a man reported to police that someone called him claiming to be a family member in need of $12,000 to bond out of jail. The man said he was then contacted by an individual who claimed to be an attorney and told the man to call a bonds company in the area.
The man contacted Eagle Bail Bonds and was notified that they did not have any information referencing the family member being in jail. The man then went to the bank and retrieved the $12,000 in cash in $100 bills. The man said he was later contacted by an individual who claimed to be an employee of Eagle Bail Bonds. The man met with this person, who went by the name of “Garcia” and drove a 2005-2010 orange 4-door Sedan. The man described Garcia as being a Hispanic male, approximately 18 years old with short hair. The man gave the money to “Garcia” who then left the area.
“To reiterate, law enforcement and bail bondspeople will not call you asking for money. Your friend/family member will be able to make a collect call and speak to you him/herself. If you get a call from someone saying a friend/family member is in jail, it’s more than likely a scam,” said McPherson police on Facebook.
Police offer the following tips to prevent you from being scammed.
Step one: Call the family member directly. If you can’t contact them...
Step two: Google the phone number for the jail and call them directly - do not redial the number that called you.
“Scammers are making money because people get scared and don’t think to check the validity of what they’re being told,” said police. “The basics of how a bail bondsperson operates: they pay the bond to get someone out of jail, generally for ~10% of the total bond. When the individual shows up for court, the bail bondsman gets their bond money back.”
If you have any information regarding the scam, contact McPherson County Crimestoppers at 620-241-1122 or use the “Contact Us” button on Facebook to submit a tip and remain anonymous. Case Number 2022-1405.
The McPherson County Sheriff’s Office took a report of a similar incident with the same amount of money being scammed. The McPherson County Sheriff’s Office Case Number 22-0557.
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