Understanding Phone Calls from Jefferson County Jail: GTL System, ADVANCEPAY, and the *72 Scam
Getting a phone call from jail can be confusing—especially if your phone won't accept collect calls or someone asks you to do something that feels off. Here's how calls work at Jefferson County Correctional Facility, what ADVANCEPAY is, and how to protect yourself from the *72 call-forwarding scam.
Jefferson County Correctional Facility doesn't accept incoming messages for incarcerated individuals. You can't call the jail and ask staff to pass along a message or tell someone to call home. All calls from people inside are outgoing - and they're collect calls only.
There's one narrow exception: the facility will accept incoming calls from legal counsel and family members reporting an emergency. The examples they give are serious injury or a death in the family. These calls don't go straight to the housing unit - staff route the information to the incarcerated person through the Classification Office.
The jail uses a web-based phone system run by GTL. Outgoing calls are recorded, with exceptions for privileged calls - attorney calls, for example. If you're discussing anything sensitive, assume it's being recorded unless it's a protected legal call.
- Set up ADVANCEPAY for your phone number - Family and friends can create an ADVANCEPAY® prepaid calling account so calls can be paid from that balance.
- Know what happens during a Free Chat call - If you can’t establish the ADVANCEPAY® account during that call, the incarcerated person will be disconnected.
- Finish setup afterward if needed - You can call 1-800-483-8314 later to establish the ADVANCEPAY® account.
Billing Contact
- ✓ Call 877.650.4249 for telephone billing questions or inquiries
- ✓ Fax 251.473.4588 for billing inquiries
Scam warning: Never dial *72 followed by a ten-digit number when someone asks you to - this forwards your phone line to a number they control. If you've already done it, dial *73 to turn off call forwarding.
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