DETROIT (WXYZ) — A bail bond scam is going around, leaving families looking to get loved ones out of jail out of hundreds of dollars. A bail bond company in Wayne County says their name is being attached to the scam and are now warning families on what to look out for.
Erica Grimes says her fiance, Joseph Jackson, was booked into the Wayne County Criminal Justice Center last Saturday for not paying child support. His bond? 10 percent of $20,000 dollars. She needed to find $2,000 to get him out. On Monday, her mother-in-law got a call from a bail bondsman, offering a deal - only $200 dollars to get her loved one out.
“When you’re frantic like trying to get your people, you’re under distress, you’re willing to do whatever it takes," Grimes said. "I'm like, okay, let me call this guy.”
Grimes called the man who went by Alex, who assured her he could get her fiance out through the company he was associated with, Wayne County Bail Bonds. However, he would need another $200. Grimes was told to go to a Bitcoin ATM inside a vape shop and even got a receipt after she sent over the funds.
“He tells me, 'I’ll have him out in an hour and a half I'm at the jail now'. I hear him talking like it sounds like there’s jail people in the background, like he’s here," she said.
When Grimes went to pick up her fiance from the Wayne County Criminal Justice Center, she was told no bondsman ever stopped by, and her fiance is still in custody.
The real owner of Wayne County Bail Bonds, Glen Gay, explains that this has been happening to multiple families, and his company name has been attached to the fake receipts and fake bondsman.
“It’s been absolutely awful because at the end of the day we’re a reputable company we’ve been doing this for a long time and never, never had an issue with anybody," Gay said. “They’re thinking they’re getting a deal when really they’re showing up and nobody’s really walking out.”
Gay believes there's a few different ways the scammer is getting the information: Either through live-streamed arraignments on YouTube where defendants' names are read aloud or through the Wayne County Inmate Lookup. The scammer wouldn't even need a name; they could simply put a date, get some names, and go through social media to find family.
Gay says there are red flags to look out for. Firstly, it’s very rare that a bail bondsman will call you; you typically need to reach out to them and Google their reputation. There's also no such thing as a discounted rate.
“If it’s too good to be true, it probably is," Gay added.
The Wayne County Sheriff's Office Director of Communications and Community Engagement Mara MacDonald released the following statement:
We urge anyone with a loved in the Wayne County Jail to look at the defined bail process on sheriffconnect.com. While we’ve not received any complaints of fake bail bondsmen, please be very skeptical of anybody calling you out of the blue offering those services.
