Sheriff’s office warns of bail bonds scam

By Brandi Makuski

The Portage County Sheriff’s Office reports on Friday that it has received a report of a scam involving bail
bonds.

Lt. Jacob Wills from PCSO said the sheriff’s office was recently made aware that residents in a neighboring county were being called, or visited at home, by individuals seeking a large amount of quick cash to bail the residents’ loved one(s) out of jail.

On Friday, Wills said local law enforcement took a complaint of the scam in Portage Co.

Wills said that in Wisconsin, no legitimate agency would ever come to a family member’s home, or seek them out in any other capacity, to obtain cash to bail out a loved one.

“The individual themselves, the person in jail, would call you, or maybe their lawyer would call you,” Wills said on Friday. “But no law enforcement agency or anyone else would come to your home or contact you seeking cash.”

Wills said that Wisconsin does not utilize the bail bonds system popularized by television shows like Dog The Bounty Hunter. Bail bonding is the practice of hiring a third-party bail bondsman who pledges to pay the full cash bond amount if the defendant fails to appear in court.

Wisconsin is one of a handful of states that have laws banning bail bonding. It’s been banned since 1979 despite several attempts to reinstate it.

Anyone who is contacted, by phone or in person, by someone requesting bail/bond money should not give out any cash or financial account information.

If someone wants to confirm whether a family member or friend is in custody, they can call the sheriff’s office at 715-346-1400. Wills said anyone who is contacted by a third-party seeking cash for bail should also call the sheriff’s office.