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Joe Barrett on Muck Rack

Joe Barrett

Verified
Chicago
As seen in: The Wall Street Journal, MSN, MSN Ireland, MSN Money Canada, Yahoo Life, The Wall Street Journal (China), The Wall Street Journal (Japan), MarketWatch, Substack, The Conversation, Flipboard and
I'm a National Affairs Reporter with @WSJ. I cover a range of topics around the country, including pickleball scams and tree murders. I've got a band too.
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Articles

How inmates with contraband phones are scamming families across America

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By Joe Barrett Verified
| Threat Beat
By Joe Barrett • Sep 14, 2026 Prisoners need little more than contraband cellphones and well-honed scripts passed inmate to inmate, investigators say. They at times dial randomly, threatening arrest if fines aren’t paid for “missed jury duty,” or they scour websites that publish the names of the recently jailed, and then cold-call relatives with fake offers of assistance.
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How Inmates With Contraband Phones Are Scamming Families Across America

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By Joe Barrett Verified
| The Wall Street Journal Verified
A warning sign outside Washington State Prison in Davisboro, Ga. Grant Blankenship/Georgia Public Broadcasting /Ap Sept. 13, 2026 8:00 pm ET COLUMBIA, S.C.—When Art Monk began getting calls and texts from In & Out Bail Bonds saying his adult child was in jail and needed help, Monk’s first reaction was swift and harsh. Their relationship had been fractured for years, and Monk was in no mood to get involved in the latest crisis. “Not my problem,” the 68-year-old retired engineer texted back.
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AI is making jury duty scams more convincing. Here’s how they work

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By Joe Barrett Verified
| WCML-TV (Mount Pleasant, MI) Verified
Phone scams aren’t new, but they’re becoming more convincing with the use of artificial intelligence. Joe Barrett of The Wall Street Journal joins us to talk about jury duty scams, when someone is scammed out of thousands of dollars by someone who calls and tells them there’s a warrant out for their arrest because they missed jury duty. He speaks with host Indira Lakshmanan about why people fall for these scams and why it’s more difficult than you think to hang up the phone.
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