Trevor Pennyfeather, Superintendent of Prisons (file photo)
Authorities at His Majesty’s Prison (HMP) are stepping up efforts to tackle a surge in phone scams orchestrated by inmates, as the illegal smuggling of cell phones into the facility continues to frustrate prison officials.
Superintendent of Prisons, Trevor Pennyfeather, confirmed that his team is collaborating with the Royal Police Force to seize contraband and prevent further breaches. “Despite recent confiscations, inmates and their outside contacts keep finding ways to get phones inside,” he said.
The scams, which often involve inmates asking unsuspecting members of the public to purchase phone “top-ups” or other items, have already cost victims thousands of dollars. In one case, a person was duped into buying groceries worth over $1,000 based on a fabricated story. Some inmates have even invoked the names of prominent families to lend credibility to their schemes.
Prison authorities say that stronger measures are limited until the Department of Corrections bill—set to address phone smuggling and related offenses—passes in Parliament.
Meanwhile, the public is urged to confirm any such requests directly with the individuals involved before sending money and to report any suspected scams to the police without delay.
It’s unbelievable that inmates keep finding ways to scam people like this. Everyone needs to be extra careful before sending money.
It’s sad that people keep falling for these schemes. Awareness campaigns are needed to educate the public.
Loom how long they say they gonna get cellphone jammers. What ever happened to that?
Honestly, it’s not just the inmates—some of these scams wouldn’t even be possible without help from inside. Phones don’t just appear magically; when prison officers are turning a blind eye or worse, actively facilitating these schemes, it’s no wonder people keep getting duped. Until there’s serious accountability and monitoring of staff, the problem will never be solved
Unfortunately, this is nothing new. Whenever phones get in, inmates find ways to manipulate people outside—using trust, fear, or even fake authority to exploit them. The fact that they’re invoking prominent family names shows how sophisticated some of these schemes have become. Confiscating phones is necessary, but unless the system addresses both the smuggling networks and the way inmates communicate externally, these scams will keep happening. Public awareness is key—people need to verify every request before acting
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Imagine sitting in prison and still scamming hardworking people smh.
We just wanna know when Angela Mejia is gonna be kicked out of the prison so we can deal with her publicly
Antiguans and Barbudans Let’s be real for once in our pathetic lives……these scams are only happening because some officers are part of the problem. Phones don’t walk through the gates on their own. When staff are pocketing cash or turning a blind eye, the inmates have free rein to target the public. Until there’s real accountability and corrupt officers are held responsible, nothing is going to change