Calling Someone at Huron Valley Women’s and Sending Money Safely (GTL, rates, PANs, and scams)
Phone calls and money deposits are the two biggest day-to-day lifelines for families. They're also where surprise charges and scams hit hardest. Here's how GTL (ViaPath) calling works in Michigan prisons, how the Personal Allowed Numbers (PAN) list controls who can be called, and how to send money safely without losing it.
Michigan Department of Corrections facilities use Global Tel*Link Corporation (GTL) for prisoner telephone service. You might also see the name ViaPath alongside GTL on paperwork or rate sheets.
Prison calls don't work like a normal phone contact list. People in custody can only call up to 20 numbers, and those numbers make up their Personal Allowed Numbers (PAN) list. If your number isn't on that list, you won't receive calls, even if everything else is set up correctly.
The PAN list isn't permanent. It resets automatically each quarter on 1/1, 4/1, 7/1, and 10/1. That reset is your loved one's built-in chance to update who they can call. If you recently changed numbers or need to be added, mark those quarterly dates.
The published GTL (ViaPath) prisoner telephone rate, effective October 1, 2023, is $0.0735 per minute. Use that as your baseline when estimating what regular calls might cost over a week or month.
International calls are priced differently. The per-minute rate is still $0.0735, but there's also a call termination fee based on the destination country. If you're outside the U.S., or your loved one is calling internationally, that extra termination fee is what makes the total cost jump.
Watch your total charges: The listed per-minute rate does not include applicable Federal, State, or Local taxes, or Federal Universal Service Fees. Your bill can be higher than the base rate once those add-ons are applied.
When sending money, use only the Michigan Department of Corrections' legitimate processing channel. Deposits go through GTL Financial Services, and each deposit is capped at $300. If you're helping with commissary or other needs, plan around that per-deposit limit so your money doesn't get rejected or delayed.
Deposit limit: No single deposit to a prisoner’s account can be more than $300.00.
Scam warning: If anyone asks you to send money through Cash App, Apple Pay, Zelle, PayPal, Venmo, or any service other than GTL Financial Services, treat it as a red flag. Those payments will not result in funds being deposited to a prisoner’s account, and the request may be a scam.
Quick Verification Steps
- ✓ Confirm the phone vendor name you see is Global Tel*Link (GTL), sometimes shown as ViaPath.
- ✓ If calls are not coming through, ask whether your number is on the 20-number PAN list.
- ✓ Use the quarterly reset dates (1/1, 4/1, 7/1, 10/1) as the natural time to update the PAN list if your number needs to be added.
- ✓ Only send money through GTL Financial Services. Do not use Cash App, Apple Pay, Zelle, PayPal, or Venmo for “deposits.”
- ✓ Keep a record of your deposit details so you can match what you sent to what posts.
- ✓ Keep each deposit at $300 or less.
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