Bail bond scam in area targets recently released

Longtime Yuma Bail Bondsman Doyle McCurley, the owner of McCurley Bail Bonds, is warning the community to beware of any phone calls they may receive from someone claiming to be a bail bond agent.

McCurley said he is concerned about a new scam now circulating in the Yuma area where crooks are posing as bail bond agents or jailers who are trying to collect bail bond money.

He said Tuesday morning one of his customers came into his office to give him the receipts that showed she had paid the $600 he had asked for in order to keep her relative from being arrested again.

When McCurley told her he had no idea what she was talking about, she explained she had been contacted on her cellphone by a man who identified himself as Doyle Lee McCurley.

The person, she said, then told her a new warrant was found on her relative, and said he would go back to jail if she did not send the money through a wire service.

She unfortunately did not check out the claim before she sent the money.

“Once the bail is paid to get you out of jail you would not owe any more money,” McCurley said.

McCurley said another customer also received the same call, but did not fall victim to the scam.

The crooks slipped up when they made that call, McCurley said, because they called from a different number the first time, and when his client questioned the purported bondsman about it they had to call him back a second time, which showed up on caller ID as McCurley Bail Bonds’ phone number.

McCurley said the crooks were able to find the phone numbers of bail bondsman clients via public records and use an app of some kind to spoof the numbers of bail bond companies.

“In many of these types of calls the scammers become mean and belligerent as they make threats,” McCurley said. “Anyone who knows me knows that I don’t yell and scream at people.”

The two phone numbers associated to this scam are (702) 239-9591 and (702) 327-5633. McCurley said he did a reverse search on the numbers and they come up as listings in the Las Vegas area.

If you get one of these calls, McCurley said to tell the purported bondsman you will call them back and try to verify the information you are being told.

He said a bail bond agent will not contact a person to collect money on a new bond. He added that you should never send money via a wire transfer.

Although he does not know how many, McCurley said he knows for certain that customers of other area bail bond companies have also received the call.

Anyone who receives one of these calls is encourage to report it to law enforcement.

James Gilbert can be reached at jgilbert@yumasun.com or 539-6854. Find him on Facebook at www.Facebook. com/YSJamesGilbert or on Twitter @ YSJamesGilbert.