Month: December 2020

Everyone agrees that 2020 has been a year like no other. As we wind down this pandemic-lockdown-socially distanced-masked year, crooks, it seems, have been just as confused as the rest of us.

Consider these actual not-too-bright tales from around the world:

• • • Caught on video! Nabbed for underage drinking in Washington state, a 20-year-old, soon-to-be defendant just released from jail went looking for treasure – in the jail’s holiday-decorated reception area. The surveillance video showed that he left the building when he discovered the packages under the tree were empty.
    • So much for telling the truth. Pulled over for speeding 25 miles per hour over the posted limit, a state trooper and K-9 deputies in Florida who searched the speeders’ vehicle found a cache of illegal drugs in two bags each labeled “Bag Full of Drugs.” The Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s office reported that the contraband in the aptly named bags included 75 grams of methamphetamine, 1.36 kilograms of GHB, a gram of cocaine, 3.6 grams of fentanyl, 15 MDMA tablets and assorted drug paraphernalia. After the arrest, a humorous Facebook post advised would-be drug transporters, “Do not traffic your illegal narcotics in bags labeled ‘Bag Full of Drugs.’ Our K-9s can read.”
    • Spell check can be a criminal’s best friend – or not. When a New York man attempted to fake his own death to avoid serving time for two felonies, his plan was derailed by a typo. As a result, the still living defendant was held accountable for the two original felonies and a new one: offering a false instrument for filing. It seems the defendant’s forged death certificate included a misspelled word, “Regsitry,” in place of the proper word, “Registry,” revealing that it wasn’t an authentic document. Even though bail for the forgery felony was set at $1, the defendant remains in jail, unable to pay the bond for the previous felonies he was trying to get out of.
    • Two chickens, a few pots and a hot spring. Traipsing through Yellowstone National Park, with cooking pots in hand, two whole chickens in a burlap bag and a group of 10 by your side is sure to alert rangers near and far. An Idaho man and his friends were headed toward the Shoshone Geyser Basin in hopes of enjoying a hot springs-fueled feast. Rangers charged the man and two other members of the group with violating a foot travel ban for thermal areas as well as disregarding park closures and usage rules. Not only did the man have to pay $1,200 in fines, he is barred from the park for two years. No information was available on the plight of the chickens.

    While it is doubtful that any of these perpetrators qualify for membership in Mensa International, these crimes certainly typify the craziness of 2020.

    A 2^nd Chance Bail Bonds remains at the ready to assist you around the clock. We are in our offices every day (even Hanukkah, Festivus, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and New Year’s) to serve you personally, and we can also process bail bonds electronically.

Beware of “Alex Smith.” He will call you offering to bail one of your loved ones out of jail. He will sound official and even say he is with A 2nd Chance Bail Bonds, a legitimate, Atlanta-based bail bonds company. But he’s neither of those things.

Alex Smith is a con artist who intends to scam you out of your hard-earned cash during the holidays in a pandemic.

More than 40 residents of Metro Atlanta have made imposter Smith’s holidays merrier already. One woman, who worked with Smith to secure the release of her finance from jail, not only lost $1,000 to him, she found out Smith had called the father of the jailed man to scam him before he called her.

His egregious actions warranted coverage on local news station, WSB-TV – WATCH HERE.

To help keep you safe from bail bonds scammers like the notorious but elusive Smith, A 2nd Chance Bail Bonds, wants you to understand how the scam unfolds.

First, Smith will call to let you know he can secure the release of your loved one from jail. Then, he’ll tell you to use his preferred mobile payment platform, Cash App, to send him the funds. If you are not one of the 40 million users of Cash App, he will instruct you to use another mobile payment system such as Money Pak. Money Paks from Green Dot work just like cash. Once you give the recipient the Money Pak issuing number, the funds are transferred immediately.

Once you have sent the money you should consider yourself out of options. Cash App is not obligated to reimburse you, and neither is Green Dot,. “Alex Smith” will not likely be found because he didn’t use a landline or mobile phone to contact you. He called over the Internet using an IP phone, which does not generate any type of record or digital footprint.

Don’t Get Scammed.

Ryan Matalon, Chief Operating Officer of A 2^nd Chance Bail Bonds, recommends four specific steps you can take to verify the legitimacy of any bail bondsman:

1. Call your loved one to find out if they are really in jail.
2. Check the bail bond company’s website. If the person you talked to is not listed on the site, call the company to determine if he or she is employed there.
3. Ask for paperwork to document the monetary request, the amount due and the transfer of funds request. Paperwork is ALWAYS involved in the bonding process (although it can be completed electronically).
4. Know who you are doing business with before you send money.

As a recognized and reliable bail bonds company, A 2^nd Chance Bail Bonds remains at the ready to assist you and your clients around the clock. We are in our offices every day (even Hanukkah, Festivus, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and New Year’s) to serve you personally, and we can also process bail bonds electronically – with a paper trail.