Wichita — Sedgwick County jail officials are investigating complaints that third-party telephone customers being improperly billed for calls from inmates. Some bills exceed $100.
The jail allows prisoners to place calls with restrictions.
The recipient may accept the call and its charge or hang up. If the recipient tries to forward it or use three-way calling, the call is supposed to end.
Complaints have been flooding the office of Iris Baker, Sedgwick County's purchasing director, in the past week.
Baker said about two dozen people say they have been billed as much as $164 for phone calls from the jail, calls that people say they did not accept.
Inmates' AT&T long-distance access has been blocked during the investigation, said Sheriff's Capt. David Thompson. They must have assistance from a deputy, who ensures that the call is collect.
Baker is forwarding information she gets about third-party bills to the consumer fraud division of the Sedgwick County District Attorney's Office. She said consumers should be cautious before accepting a collect call from the jail.
Southwestern Bell Telephone Co., the service provider, is checking for mechanical problems.
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