Montana Officials Warn of Fake Jail Websites Targeting Inmate Families

HELENA – The Montana Department of Justice’s Office of Consumer Protection (OCP) is warning Montanans about scammers operating fraudulent county jail websites that target families of inmates in an attempt to collect personal and financial information.

OCP has received reports of an active scam website, musselshellcountyjail.org, which impersonates the official Musselshell County Detention Center by falsely offering inmate lookup services, mailing and money instructions, and deceptive facility information. Similar fraudulent county jail websites have been found across the state seeking to mislead the public and collect money.

The Office of Consumer Protection offers a few tips to Montanans to avoid falling for this scam:

• Verify links: Only trust inmate-search sites that end with .mt.gov or official county sites.
• Recognize red flags: Montana jails never ask you to mail money orders to a P.O. Box.
• Inmate lookup is always free: Never pay for basic inmate information.
• Approved money deposits: Money for inmates goes only through Access Corrections, JPay, TouchPay, or directly at the jail.
• When in doubt, call the jail: Contact the jail directly. Use the information listed on the official county website.

Montanans can report any phone, email, or mail scams to the Montana Department of Justice’s Office of Consumer Protection at [email protected], or 406-444-4500 (toll-free: 800-481-6896), or online at https://dojmt.gov/office-of-consumer-protection/.