Schumer is urging the Federal Bureau of Investigation to act immediately on behalf of New Yorkers and cited calls to his own office, which have also increased. They may even threaten to arrest, deport or revoke the license of their victim if they don’t get the money.
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Fortin said she hung up and contacted the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office.
All official business from their agency would occur at the main Sheriff’s Office, the Harbor Sub-station.
The BBB said if someone wants to immediately contact you over a personal email or phone, things might not be on the up-and-up.
The callers use fake names and IRS identification badge numbers, authorities said.
The sheriff said he would like to remind citizens that phone scams such as this one are reported more frequently during tax season. Almost 4,550 victims have collectively paid over $23 million as a result of the scam. The scam artists will then ask that you put money on a prepaid debit card or send your payment via wire transfer.
While there is nothing you can do to prevent the online tax preparation vendor’s vulnerability to security breaches, there are steps that you can take to minimize the risk of having your information stolen.
Schumer added that, as of October, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration received approximately 736,000 scam reports since October 2013.
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Consumers should remain calm and verify their tax status directly with the IRS by calling 1-800-829-1040.
