The Galveston County Sheriff's Office is warning League City residents about a phone scam in which callers pose as sheriff's office employees and demand money to bond someone out of jail.

Sheriff Jimmy Fullen's office issued the alert on its official Facebook page on Thursday, Aug. 13, stating that any such call is likely fraudulent. The agency does not solicit money to bond anyone out of jail.

Don't send money.

Residents who receive a suspicious call should not hand over cash or personal information, according to the warning. Instead, the GCSO urged people to contact the office directly at its main line, (409) 763-8477, to verify any claim before taking action.

The League City Police Department has echoed the concern. In a separate Facebook post, the department warned that scammers are growing more convincing and urged residents to verify any caller's identity before sharing financial details.

This is not the first time the scam has surfaced in Galveston County. In March 2025, the county issued a separate alert about callers posing as "Sgt. Jackson" from the Sheriff's Office, telling people they had to pay $500 to $1,600 for an ankle monitor to avoid a warrant. That scheme was tied to the phone number 972-318-4972.

In a prior Facebook alert, the GCSO said it will never call families and request payment for the release of any incarcerated individual in the Galveston County Jail. That post flagged Zelle, MoneyGram and crypto kiosks as payment methods scammers commonly demand.

Government impersonation scams are surging nationally. A Federal Trade Commission report published in June 2026 found that Americans lost $920 million to government impersonators in 2025, up from $789 million the year before. Total imposter scam losses hit $3.5 billion in 2025, nearly three times the 2020 figure.

Residents who believe they received a scam call should hang up immediately and call the GCSO's main line to confirm whether the contact was legitimate.