Crackdown on prison-run phone scams in Fayette County

FAYETTE COUNTY, Ga. - FOX 5 has learned Fayette County Sheriff’s investigators have made arrests in some popular phone scams that cost metro Atlanta victims thousands of dollars. 

Many of those arrested were already doing time behind bars, including Braindon Cayo, Dequarius Thornton and Andrew Maresh.

What they're saying:

Cayo and Thornton are in prisons in Georgia. Maresh is serving life for murder in Alabama.

And they are not the only ones. Fayette County investigators charged six inmates, four parolees and one corrections officer with more under investigation.

"It actually was someone serving time for homicide who was sitting in prison, making money off of innocent people on the outside," said Fayette County Sheriff Barry Babb.

Babb says the phone fraud they investigated with victims in Fayette County included the jury duty scam, where the caller pretends to be law enforcement and informs the victim that they missed jury duty and must pay a fine. Another, the bonding company scam, where the victim is told their loved one has been recently incarcerated and for a fee they’ll be freed. Then there’s the parol board scam, where victims of prison inmates say their loved one will be released on parole for a fee.

Sheriff Babb law enforcement will never request money over the phone.

"That should be a huge red flag."

What we know:

The scammers will use names of actual police officers. And they use phone apps that make it appear they are calling from police agencies.

Fayette investigators say the rings they have busted are responsible for stealing close to $130,000 from victims in numerous states.

What we don't know:

No word on if there will be more arrests.