Scam alert – Don’t fall for jail phone ploy

This scam alert from the Missoula County Sheriff’s Office:

Law enforcement and Better Business Bureau reports that the call sounds something like this:

“You have a collect call from an inmate at the Such-and-Such Jail, if you do not wish to accept this call press 1 and hang up.”

What is the scam? If you press ’0′ and dial *72 (or numbers given) as the scammer may direct you, it opens up your phone for inmates to make long distance calls as they want, and the charges will rack up right on your phone bill.

Advice – If you receive a call from a prison official or someone you think might be in jail, to not press any series of buttons or numbers. State that you will call back the proper jail that the person says they are calling from and verify that they are, indeed, in prison.