North Carolina Phone Scam Targets Families Of Prison Inmates

Just when you thought phone scammers couldn't reach a new low, this happens. Reports have recently come in of a new North Carolina phone scam specifically targeting the families of prison inmates.

According to a news release by the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction, scammers are now contacting family members of incarcerated individuals and feeding them a bogus promise that their family member can be released early under certain conditions. These conditions include the inmate being fitted with an ankle monitor and, as you may have guessed, a hefty fee that they say is going to the NC Post-Release Supervision and Parole Commission.

The Department stresses that these calls are completely, 100 percent fake. The Commission will NEVER accept money in exchange for early release or for any other reason. If you have a friend or family member who is in prison and you receive a call like this, do not send them any money or provide them with any personal or banking information.

If you find yourself on the receiving end of one of these scam calls you are also encouraged to report it to the NC Attorney General's Office. You may do so either by filing a general consumer complaint online, or by calling (877)-5-NO-SCAM.

In addition to avoiding scams over the phone, you should also be wary of internet scams and cyberattacks. You can practice safe internet habits like activating multi-factor authentication for your accounts, regularly updating your software, using strong and complex passwords, and using good, sound judgment online.

As is the case with phone and internet scams, it helps to trust your gut more often than not. If it feels like something fishy is going on, it likely is. One good rule of thumb I've learned is to never offer personal or banking info to a business that called you first. If you didn't contact them first, it would behoove you to proceed with extreme caution.

It sadly may not come as much of a surprise, but a recent study says that Robeson County and Columbus County in North Carolina, are among the most dangerous in the United States for drivers.

A personal injury attorney firm in Florida, Anijar & Levine, did the study. They looked at the number of deaths caused by car accidents from 2018 to 2021, with data compiled from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Only counties with 50,000 or more people were analyzed for the study, and it came with some sad results.

Most notably, the data showed that Robeson County had the highest number of total car accident deaths during the four-year period. There were 263 people killed in Robeson County during that time period.

"This data shows us the counties with the highest number of deaths caused by car crashes over four years. Arizona has the most number of counties featured in the top 10, with Apache, Gila and Navajo all included. States such as Virginia, Tennessee, and Nevada only have one county featured in the top 50," Anijar & Levine said in a news release. "There are many reasons as to why car crashes happen, whether that be the fault of an individual or weather conditions. Ultimately, this analysis demonstrates that it is essential to take road safety seriously and drive carefully, no matter where there are."

Robeson County came in at third overall in number of car crash fatalities per 10,000 people, while Columbus County came in sixth, with 21.14 per 10,000. Two counties from South Carolina also unfortunately landed in the Top 10, with Orangeburg County at second, and Laurens County at ninth.

Outside of the top 10, Pender County in North Carolina was 18th at 15.61, Sampson County was 33rd at 13.89, Granville County was 38th at 13.44, Lenoir County was 39th at 13.42 and Nash County came in at 50th with 13.06.

Let's take a look at the Top 10 counties in the United States that are the most dangerous for drivers.

Apache County in Northeast Arizona has only 66,024 people, but had 155 people killed in car crashes during the time period. That's 23.48 per 10,000.

The small county south of Columbia has 84,225 people, and saw 194 deaths in the four years. That's 23.03 per 10,000 people.

The county in our region with Lumberton in it has 116,516 people. And had more people killed in car crashes during the time period than anywhere else in the country, and had 22.57 per 10,000 people.

While a small county, with just 53,273 people, the Gila area is near the major Phoenix metro. There were 21.96 deaths per 10,000 people.

The county in central Florida has just 73,327 people, but is a major gateway between major cities. There were 21.14 deaths per 10,000 people.

Just down the road, the county with Whiteville in it is also a pass-through to the beach areas. So while it has a small population of just 50,625 there were 21.14 deaths per 10,000 people.

A small county in western New Mexico, it does happen to border the Arizona county that topped the list. There were 20.85 deaths per 10,000.

Another rural county in Arizona, but it does 106,716 people in it. The county saw 213 deaths, which was 19.96 per 10,000 people.

While not a big county, Laurens County is a passthrough between Greenville and Columbia and saw 18.95 car crash deaths per 10,000 people.

The county between Destin and Panama Beach sees a lot of visiting traffic, and that's probably why it had 17.53 deaths per 10,000 people.