ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — Inmates in the St. Johns County Jail are being targeted by scammers posing as bail bond agents, according to the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office (SJSO), and it's causing the jail to shut down its online inmate roster.
In a Facebook post, SJSO said "several" inmates and their families were recently the targets of scammers involving people posing as bail bond agents soliciting payments. SJSO said these scammers used their online inmate search to contact inmates and their families, asking for the fraudulent payments.
SJSO said people should be suspicious if they receive an unexpected call about a loved one's arrest. If someone claims to be a bail bond agent and asks for payment through a mobile app, it's likely a scam. Legitimate bail bond services typically accept traditional forms of payment.
While working through the scam issues, SJSO said they will take down their inmate search page and develop a new search function they say will better protect the community from scammers. They expect to go live "soon."
