Scammers will spoof their caller ID to look like they are legitimately from the IRS or other agencies. Another resident reported on Monday that she fell victim to a similar phone scam and sent the suspects multiple MoneyGram payments totaling $17,500.
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George said taxpayers in every state have been hit by the scam. The best thing you can do to protect yourself is hang up.
According to the Parsippany police report, investigators learned of one victim when a woman came to headquarters and reported that her mother was missing.
“As the tax filing season begins, it is critical that all taxpayers continue to be wary of unsolicited telephone calls and emails from individuals claiming to be IRS and Treasury employees”, said the Inspector General.
Local authorities would like to remind residents that the Internal Revenue Service will never ask for a credit or debit card over the phone. The police then met the mother at her residence and were told she had been on the phone continuously since 11 a.m. with someone from the IRS who told her she owed $17,500 in back taxes. Also make a report to the Federal Trade Commission.
Over the past two days area Police Departments have been made aware that the “IRS Overdue Tax Bill” scam is resurfacing and that the individuals making the phone calls are aggressive and harassing.
Schmidt says the first notification you receive from the IRS won’t be on a phone, but a letter in the mail. “Creating a phone ID to show up as IRS or Washington D.C. also is very easy to do now”.
If you are a target of these scams, you should report it. The victim advised Patrol Officer J. Hughes she attempted to cancel the wire transfer after she became suspicious of the phone call and wire transfer. The IRS does not call you and threaten to have you arrested. Unfortunately, the wire transfers were already completed and the victim lost her money. We have received a lot of calls you guys too, wanting to get the word out.
“We are urging the public to take the necessary precautions to ensure that their private information and identity are safe, and to never give personal information to someone you don’t know”, Ryan said in a news release.
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IRS scams are not uncommon, especially this time of year, officials said, The IRS five tell-tale warning signs to tip you off if you get such a call.
