Phone Scams Targeting Families of Lafayette County Inmates: How to Spot and Report Them
Got a call claiming your loved one was arrested and you need to pay immediately? That's a red flag. Lafayette County Sheriff Joey East has warned residents about this exact scam. The safest move: slow down, verify, and report it.
Sheriff Joey East has alerted Lafayette County residents about scammers calling and claiming a family member has been arrested. The caller wants to push you into panic mode and get you to send money immediately - often with instructions to "pay money to this number." Don't fall for it. If someone calls with an arrest story and demands payment over the phone, it's a scam. Keep your money where it is.
Do this first: Never give money over the phone to someone claiming your family member has been arrested.
Scammers thrive on urgency - "right now," "before it's too late," "don't tell anyone." Your best defense? Refuse to pay on the spot. Sheriff East's advice is straightforward: never give money over the phone when someone claims your loved one has been arrested.
- Pause and collect details - Ask the caller for the person’s name, where they claim the arrest happened, and what agency they say is holding them.
- Verify through an official number - Hang up and call the Lafayette County Sheriff’s Department at (662) 234-6421 for non-emergency verification.
- Stick to official ways to add funds - If the call turns into “send money for commissary,” don’t pay the caller. The Lafayette County correctional facility has two money kiosks family members can use to upload funds to an inmate’s commissary account.
- Don’t confuse communication costs with a crisis - Inmates can use kiosks to pay for phone calls, video chats, or email with family and friends. A demand for immediate payment over the phone isn’t how legitimate communication funding should work.
Call to verify (non-emergency): Lafayette County Sheriff’s Department - (662) 234-6421. Use this number instead of 911 when you’re checking whether a call is legitimate.
Think you got a call from a scammer? Sheriff East asks residents to contact the Lafayette County Sheriff's Department and share details so law enforcement can investigate. Call the non-emergency line at (662) 234-6421 and pass along whatever you remember - even if you didn't lose any money.
Before you report: Write down the phone number that called you, the time of the call, and exactly what the caller said they wanted you to do.
Protection Tips Students
- ✓ Keep a couple of backup ways to reach your loved one (especially if they’re an out-of-state student), so a sudden “arrest” call can’t trap you in panic.
- ✓ Never give money over the phone to someone claiming a family member has been arrested.
- ✓ Verify through official channels by calling the Lafayette County Sheriff’s Department at (662) 234-6421 for non-emergencies, rather than relying on what the caller tells you.
If your loved one actually needs money added to their account, use the legitimate options the facility provides - not whatever a stranger on the phone demands. Lafayette County's correctional facility has two money kiosks where family members can add funds to an inmate's commissary account. Inmates can also use these kiosks to pay for phone calls, video chats, or email. "Pay this number right now" isn't how commissary or communication costs actually work.
Find an Inmate at Lafayette County Detention Ctr, MS
Search for a loved one and send messages and photos in minutes.
