Oklahoma Bondsmen Step Up to Warn Consumers About Growing Trend in Bail Scams
“Their bond may not be even two thousand dollars. People are emotional, they’re scared, they’re trying to get their family out.”
Channel 6 News out of Wichita, Texas covered a story on one of the fastest growing consumer scams in the country. This new scam targeting families in the Texoma area involves fraudsters impersonating loved ones who are supposedly in jail and urgently need bail money. Scammers are increasingly using personal information obtained from people in custody, along with AI voice-cloning technology, to make their calls sound more convincing. They often pressure families to send money quickly, sometimes through gift cards and may falsely claim that the person in jail doesn’t need a bondsman or should be released with an ankle monitor instead.
These scams, sometimes referred to as “family emergency” or “family friend” scams, are an evolution of older grandparent scams. The reporter talks with President of Oklahoma Bondsman Association, Tracey Terrel. Ms. Terrel warns that victims should never send money based on an unexpected call. Instead, they should hang up and directly contact their family member through a known number to verify whether the emergency is real before taking any action. An excerpt from the article is below as well as a link to the full article.
FAMILY EMERGENCY SCAMS ARE ON THE RISE, EXPERTS INFORM ON PRECAUTIONS
Published: Jun. 3, 2026 at 8:53 AM PDT | Updated: 8 hours ago
WICHITA FALLS, Texas (KAUZ) - A new scam is on the rise throughout Texoma, where fraudsters imitate a family member in desperate need.
Tracey Halley Terrell, President of the Oklahoma Bondsman Association, stresses the importance of staying alert to jail scams. These are when a family member receives a phone call of their loved one in jail and urgently needing money, when in reality, it’s all an elaborate scheme by a scammer to try to steal your money.
