Bail Bond Phone Scam

As bail bondsmen we see these bail phone scam alerts about twice a year. They are a real concern for the general public. Residents of Morgan County Alabama have been the latest put on alert for a phone scam that has been making the rounds recently.

The scammers have been calling around, pretending to be from a bail bond company, and telling business owners and families that their employee or loved one has been taken to jail. The fraudulent bondsman then tells the person that, in order to get their friend/ family member/ employee out of jail, thousands of dollars need to be wired directly to them.

The scammers have even gone so far as to give the person they call a fake phone number for the Morgan County Jail so that when he or she calls to verify that their loved one is, in fact, there, then the scammer will answer the phone as an employee of the jail and confirm that their friend or family member has been arrested. Wow! That’s a new one.

Two people have paid money to the scam artist, one paying more than $6,000. At least six other people have contacted the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office to ask about their family members.

Here are a few warning signs to be on the alert for if you receive a call for bail help:

• The caller will Read more »

Bail vs. Remaining In Custody

Question: My boyfriend is in jail and is eligible for bail, he is being charged with possession of a controlled substance.  His charge should be dropped because he has proof of  a prescription.  He will have to go court in about 2 weeks, but he really wants out.  In order to bail him out I have to pay $700 for the bail bondsman fee, but I know I will not get my money back when the case is over. We have a 7 month old baby and I know he will not be patient enough to wait until his court date, which is 10 days away.  If the case is dropped or dismissed he will be out free without having to have paid $700.  I need your opinion as to what I should do.  Do I bail him out or leave him in jail until his court date?

Answer:  Ten days is a long time to wait in jail.   If he has a job he needs to go to, you might want to get him out — jobs are hard to come by at this point.

If he does not work or provide care for your daughter, you may want to consider the cost of bail bonds.   How much of a financial hardship would it be even if you pay the $700?  Something else to consider is the emotional cost to you, him and your child if you decide to leave him there.

What it really comes down to is Read more »

Can I Be Sued By A Bail Bonds Company?

Another question from Yahoo! Answers, where we were chosen as “Best Answer” by Voters.

Question:  Is it legal for the bail bonds company to sue me as the co-signer of bond agreement when the case has been dropped?  They have collected hundreds from me already.  Why do I have to pay them more?

Answer:  The basics of bail is that the bail bond agency earns their fee when the person is released from jail. The outcome of the case does not matter: guilty, innocent or no charges ever filed.  In most states, the bail bondsman cannot legally refund you even if he wanted to do so.

It sounds like you made payment plan arrangements for the bail bond fee (often 10% of the full bond amount). That is legally Read more »

Recent Bail Bonds Scam Not New

Residents of Douglas County, Kansas were warned on last week of a recent bail bonds scam that has been taking place.  A con artist posing as a sheriff’s employee contacted a manager of a local business by phone. They were asked to withdraw cash in the amount of $1,634 and wire the money in order to pay for the employee’s bail bond.  It was mentioned that the employee was arrested for DUI and child endangerment.  After becoming suspicious of the incident, the manager contacted the employee by text, only to find out that they had not been arrested.  Once the con artist was questioned further by the manager, he hung up.

This is a scam that has been going on for some time throughout the country. Anyone who receives this type of call Read more »

What Happens if I Bail Someone Out of Jail and They Skip Court?

When a friend or family member has been arrested, they may turn to you for help in posting their bail. If you agree to help them, you will have the option to either pay the full bail amount directly to the court or jail, or to use the services of a licensed bail bondsman.

But be careful and fully consider the impact of signing a bail bond contract. When you sign a contract with a bail bond company, you become Read more »

How Can I Be Removed From a Bail Bond?

This question comes from Yahoo! Answers where we will answer bail questions frequently.  Our answer was selected as the “Best Answer” by Yahoo! voters.

Question: I signed for someone to be bailed out of jail and now I want to be removed ASAP.  Is this possible?

Answer: The bail bond contract you signed is legally binding. These contracts are required not only by the bondsman and the insurance company backing the bondsman, and also by the California Department of Insurance, the state agency that regulates bail bonds. Not many bail bonds agencies would want to remove you from the contract.

Finding someone else to take responsibility may be a possibility, but Read more »

Can A Bail Bond Be Revoked for No Reason?

Another question from Yahoo! Answers, where we often answer bail related questions.

Question: Can a bail bondsman revoke my bond for no reason? My sister used a bail bondsman for herself then bailed me out of jail with the same guy. Well, my sister owes him money for her bond. I have done nothing to have my bond revoked.

The bondsman called me this morning and says if I don’t find my sister, he will revoke my bond & take me to jail. Can he do this? There is no reason to revoke my bond! I dont owe him money and haven’t gotten into any trouble. Can he legally put me into hand cuffs and arrest me? And, can he revoke my bond for no reason on my part?

Answer:

In California, a bondsman cannot revoke a bail bond simply because it wasn’t paid.  However, a bondsman can revoke a bail bond for many reasons and many of which may not seem like probable cause to the defendant.

Bail bond regulations vary from state-to-state, you are best to Read more »

Is It Possible To Revoke A Bail Bond?

This question comes from Yahoo! Answers, where we answer questions about bail bonds on a regular basis. On this question, ours was chosen by reader vote as the Best Answer.

Question:  Is it possible to revoke a person’s bail bond? I put up a bond for a friend, but here lately my gut feeling is telling me he is going to “jump bail”. He is scheduled for court next month. So I really want to protect myself and find out if there is a way I can revoke his bond.

Answer: Yes, it is possible to have the bail bond revoked.  If you are using a bail bondsman, you should call them to discuss the matter. 

Revoking a bond can be somewhat complicated. Your bondsman Read more »

Is a Co-Signer Responsible for the Full Bail Amount?

Today’s question comes from Yahoo Answers, where we regularly answer bail related questions: 

Question: If someone signs a bonds paper as a co signer do they really have to pay for the full bail amount if I don’t show up?

Answer:  It is a fact that a co-signer on a bail bond is agreeing to pay the full bail amount  if the defendant does not show up  to court and cannot be located.

In most states, when the defendant doesn’t show up to court as promised, the bondsman and the co-signer have some time to get the defendant back into court. As long as defendant goes back, the co-signer will not pay the full bail amount. They will need to pay only if the defendant cannot be located.

That said, why would you not show up? You certainly do not want to be running from the law — every state has access to warrants nationwide. The reason the bail bonds system is effective is because the bondsman will come looking for you. Between the legal system and the bondsman, it would be best for you to simply go to court. Plus, someone was generous enough to get you out of jail. The least you can do is take care of your situation so they are no longer on the hook.

If you’ve already missed your court date, you can easily arrange a new court date and your bondsman can help. You should call right away.

Got a bail related question? Ask The Bondsman

Would bail your adult child out of jail?

Question: My son was arrested for shoplifting and was sentenced to 36-hours of community service. He then refused to do the community service hours and now he is back in jail for not complying with the court.

Answer: As a bondsman, I get this type of question from parents quite frequently. In fact, we published an article on this a few years back: Bail Bonds 101: Lessons for Parents. Knowing the state of the jails, I would certainly bail my adult child out of jail.

That said, there are certainly significant issues to consider in bailing out your adult child. For example, Read more »