Post by Greener on Sept 12, 2010 19:18:40 GMT -5
Accused murderer, in jail, scams elderly man by phone
29-year-old man in jail awaiting trial for a 2007 drive-by shooting has been charged with hijacking an elderly man’s phone line by carrying out a scam from the Cook County Jail.
Jaryan Gills is charged with impersonating a police officer, a felony. Already being held on $1 million bond, an additional bond of $50,000 was added Friday as a result of this charge, according to a release from the Cook County Sheriff's office.
On Sept. 2, Gills was out of his maximum security cell for recreation time when he used a jailhouse phone to make a collect call, according to the release. He dialed random numbers until his call was accepted by the 77-year-old Chicago man.
Gills then immediately identified himself as “Officer Smith with the Cook County Sheriff’s Department,” telling the victim that a relative was involved in a car accident. Gills told the man to immediately call “Lt. Long” at the scene of the crash by dialing *72, then a number actually registered to Gills’ girlfriend.
The victim did not enter the numbers correctly, however, and Gills called him back two more times, walking him through the process, until the victim did it correctly, according to the sheriff's office.
By dialing *72, the victim had forwarded his phone line to Gills’ girlfriend’s house. That meant that when Gills called the victim’s number again, it rang directly to his girlfriend’s house, where a person accepted seven collect calls over the course of one day -- all charged to the victim’s phone line. Once a scam is successfully carried out, according to the sheriff's office, inmates often barter with other inmates to make collect calls with the number.
The entire time, the victim is unable to use their phone, further adding to the urgency of trying to learn more about the “accident” involving a loved one. This victim, however, learned after just one day that there was no crash and it was a scam. Phone company officials will not hold the victim responsible for the calls, the release said.
In 2008, a sting operation by the sheriff's office found 20 jail inmates carrying out scams against victims across the country. In October 2008, a new jail phone system was installed which includes a long introduction that specifically says it is a collect call from an inmate at the Cook County Jail, followed by a warning not to dial *72 or 1172, even if instructed to do so by the person calling. The same warning is played periodically during calls.
Last year, Sheriff Tom Dart successfully lobbied the state legislature to make it a felony simply for carrying out a phone scam using a jailhouse phone -- a law that took effect in January.
Anyone who wants their phone number blocked from being dialed by Cook County Jail phone numbers can call (773) 869-6838 to register it.
29-year-old man in jail awaiting trial for a 2007 drive-by shooting has been charged with hijacking an elderly man’s phone line by carrying out a scam from the Cook County Jail.
Jaryan Gills is charged with impersonating a police officer, a felony. Already being held on $1 million bond, an additional bond of $50,000 was added Friday as a result of this charge, according to a release from the Cook County Sheriff's office.
On Sept. 2, Gills was out of his maximum security cell for recreation time when he used a jailhouse phone to make a collect call, according to the release. He dialed random numbers until his call was accepted by the 77-year-old Chicago man.
Gills then immediately identified himself as “Officer Smith with the Cook County Sheriff’s Department,” telling the victim that a relative was involved in a car accident. Gills told the man to immediately call “Lt. Long” at the scene of the crash by dialing *72, then a number actually registered to Gills’ girlfriend.
The victim did not enter the numbers correctly, however, and Gills called him back two more times, walking him through the process, until the victim did it correctly, according to the sheriff's office.
By dialing *72, the victim had forwarded his phone line to Gills’ girlfriend’s house. That meant that when Gills called the victim’s number again, it rang directly to his girlfriend’s house, where a person accepted seven collect calls over the course of one day -- all charged to the victim’s phone line. Once a scam is successfully carried out, according to the sheriff's office, inmates often barter with other inmates to make collect calls with the number.
The entire time, the victim is unable to use their phone, further adding to the urgency of trying to learn more about the “accident” involving a loved one. This victim, however, learned after just one day that there was no crash and it was a scam. Phone company officials will not hold the victim responsible for the calls, the release said.
In 2008, a sting operation by the sheriff's office found 20 jail inmates carrying out scams against victims across the country. In October 2008, a new jail phone system was installed which includes a long introduction that specifically says it is a collect call from an inmate at the Cook County Jail, followed by a warning not to dial *72 or 1172, even if instructed to do so by the person calling. The same warning is played periodically during calls.
Last year, Sheriff Tom Dart successfully lobbied the state legislature to make it a felony simply for carrying out a phone scam using a jailhouse phone -- a law that took effect in January.
Anyone who wants their phone number blocked from being dialed by Cook County Jail phone numbers can call (773) 869-6838 to register it.