Scam alert targets inmate families 

The latest scam alert is targeting families of DeSoto County jail inmates, according to the Sheriff’s Department.  

Phone calls are being made to those family members and the callers are impersonating Sheriff Thomas Tuggle, deputies or jailers, and the callers are asking for money to cover bonds or fees.  

In other phone calls, the scammers have claimed that the person being called has missed a court date or jury duty with an active warrant out for arrest. The demand is for payment in cryptocurrency, such as Bitcoin or XRP to avoid arrest.  

A Facebook post from the Sheriff’s Department points out that payment is never demanded by the Sheriff’s Department with those methods, Cash App, Apple Pay, Venmo, or similar methods. All bonding is done through our Bonding and Visitation Center.

Anyone who has been scammed or has information about this latest spate of scam attempts is asked to contact detectives Weatherly (662-469-8715) or Bynum (662-469-8793) at the Sheriff’s Department.