CARLSBAD — Eddy County is warning the public to be on their guard following a fraudulent phone call that resulted in a resident being scammed.

On June 4, a caller with a 615 area code — associated with the Nashville, Tenn., area — placed a call to the family member of an Eddy County Detention Center (ECDC) detainee one day after the detainee had been booked into the jail.

The caller told the relative that ankle-monitoring services could be initiated for the detainee if the family member would simply send a payment of $800 via cash app. The family member unfortunately found the caller’s wording and tone so convincing that they …

… transferred the $800 payment before realizing that the call had been fraudulent.

When the individual attempted to call the 615 number back, they found their number to be blocked.

The county urges the public to be advised that ankle-monitoring service providers will never directly solicit money from a detainee’s family. At the time of a detainee’s court hearing, the family is advised regarding local vendors who provide ankle-monitoring services, at which point it is up to the family to contact those providers at their discretion.

The ECDC must furnish both the detainee’s family and the ankle- monitoring service provider with the detainee’s Conditions of Release document from the New Mexico Courts before ankle- monitoring service providers request a one-month-in-advance payment to initiate services.

Anyone receiving a phone call from someone claiming to represent ECDC or an ankle-monitoring service provider who asks for money or personal information is urged to hang up immediately and call the Eddy County Sheriff’s Office at 575-887-7551 to report the suspicious activity.

If you receive a call regarding an ECDC detainee and are uncertain as to whether or not it is legitimate, hang up immediately and call the ECDC directly at 575-887-7556.