Police in Missouri and IL are warning residents about phone scams that are targeting victims in the bi-state.
Advertisement
An individual will call and claim to be associated with the ISP or the “Illinois Police”. The caller ID may read “Illinois Police” or “Illinois State Police”.
Lake St. Louis Police want to remind residents the IRS will never call for immediate payment, disallow appeal of what a person may owe, call in local authorities, require specific payment, or ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.
In a similar scam, a caller tells potential victims they’ve missed jury duty and a warrant is out for their arrest unless they “post bond”.
Charity Phone Scam: The caller claims to be calling from a charity and asking for donations.
The Sheriff called the number back and a female answered the phone by saying “Internal Revenue Service”, he said. “If the IRS is going to contact you, they’ll do it by USA mail”. These types of scams seem to be most common during the winter months. That portion of the phone call was edited out to protect that person’s identity and phone number. It is uncommon for legitimate businesses to call and ask for money or personal information. The caller will often state that you can not hang up the phone until payment is received or they will send police.
If you have received any calls related to this scam, you can call the Department of Treasury’s toll-free number at 1-800-366-4484.
Advertisement
Sheriff: “Can you tell me your name?”
