Scam alert 2

***SCAM ALERT***

It has been brought to our attention, that two inmates' families have been victimized hits weekend by fake bonding companies.  If you receive a phone call from a random person claiming to be a bail bondsman, do not immediately send them money to get your family member or friend out of jail. 

We highly recommend to meet a bonding company at the Marion County Jail in person to pay their fee if you are going to use a bonding company to get someone out of jail. But at the same time, we understand that sometimes it is not possible to meet in person. 

If you must send money electronically, we highly recommend that you do your research first. DO NOT let the person pressure you into sending money immediately. Each bonding company that is licensed to do business at the Marion County Jail is good at communication with our staff before attempting to bond someone out. In order to prevent you from being scammed, we highly recommend you ask the person for their name and call back number along with the name of the company that they work for. Then you can call the Marion County jail at (205)-921-7433 and verify that the person is a licensed agent with the company that they claim to work for. Also, the Marion County Jail staff can verify if a legitimate bonding company has called and inquired to getting your family or friend out of jail. While you are on the phone with jail staff, you can also verify that your family or friend is able to bond out of jail. And you can also verify their charge(s) and bond amount to make sure the person that claims to be a bail bondsman is telling you the truth.

If the bonding company has not already been in contact with the jail before contacting you, it is a very good possibility that it is a SCAM. DO NOT SEND THEM ANY INFORMATION OR MONEY.

 If you are in the process of using a bail bondsman, please call the Marion County Jail and we can provide you with the names and phone numbers of companies that are licensed in our county,