A Rossville resident reportedly has had personal experience with a new type of crime, prison inmates using cell phones to extort money from people on the outside.

In a report from the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Brenda Kick said she got a call at 2:30 am from an inmate at Hayes State Prison in Pennville. The picture showed her incarcerated son tied up, blindfolded, and being held at knife point. The demand was that she go to Walmart and buy a Green Dot Card for $300. Otherwise, the prisoners said her son would be killed. She called back and gave the number on the cash card. Her son is fine.

But last week, two inmates died inside Hayes and the GBI is investigating.

Ricky Myrick, of the Department of Corrections told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that there have been 25-30 reports of extortion. He said the "true catalyst behind our problem reverts back to the cell phones."

Inmates buy the phones at inflated prices, often from prison employees who are willing to take the risk for profit.  Inmates use the Green Dot Cards because the flow of cash is difficult or impossible to trace.