(KAIR)--Leavenworth County Attorney Todd Thompson and local law enforcement are sending a warning about a scam in which fraudsters might utilize online inmate rosters to help deceive and financially exploit families. The scammers, a release from Thompson's office says, "appear to be specifically targeting relatives of individuals who have recently appeared in court, received bond amounts, or been listed as inmates on the Leavenworth County Sheriff- online booking log."

In the most recent incident, within an hour of a defendant- court appearance, a family member receives a phone call from an individual claiming to be a Leavenworth County Sheriff- deputy. Using a “ghost” number to hide their true identity, the caller falsely informs the family member that a payment smaller than the $50,000 bond set by the District Court Judge is available. The scammer then explains that for a fee of $4,500, the court is willing to release the defendant, but an ankle bracelet would be necessary - the $4,500 fee is charged to cover the ankle bracelet expense. The scammer stated payment could be conducted via telephone from a bank draft.

Thompson says the would-be victim narrowly escaped being scammed out of money.

Authorities believe the scammers could be actively monitoring online jail logs to identify recent appearances and bond amounts. This would allow them to craft convincing and deceptive messages to pressure families into making quick payments under false pretenses.

The problem is widespread, as use of law enforcement records to commit such scams is the reason why the Missouri State Highway Patrol no longer posts the names of accident victims in its online crash log.