Sheriff’s department reports IRS scam in area

A Dubois County resident reported a potential scam involving scare tactics and the Internal Revenue Service.

The resident reported being contacted by an individual with a foreign accent who claimed to be with the IRS. The scammer claimed there was a warrant for the arrest of the resident due to back taxes not being paid.

The scammer then threatened to contact local police within five minutes.

The resident hung up on the scammer and notified the sheriff’s department.

The Dubois County Sheriff’s Department is advising the public to not give out personal information to unsolicited callers and to be sure to investigate the caller to determine their true identity.

In November, the Internal Revenue Service issued a warning about a sophisticated phone scam targeting taxpayers, including recent immigrants, throughout the country.

They reported that victims are told they owe money to the IRS and it must be paid promptly through a pre-loaded debit card or wire transfer. If the victim refuses to cooperate, they are then threatened with arrest, deportation or suspension of a business or driver’s license. In many cases, the caller becomes hostile and insulting.

“This scam has hit taxpayers in nearly every state in the country. We want to educate taxpayers so they can help protect themselves.  Rest assured, we do not and will not ask for credit card numbers over the phone, nor request a pre-paid debit card or wire transfer,” says IRS Acting Commissioner Danny Werfel said in a press release. “If someone unexpectedly calls claiming to be from the IRS and threatens police arrest, deportation or license revocation if you don’t pay immediately, that is a sign that it really isn’t the IRS calling.”

The first IRS contact with taxpayers on a tax issue is likely to occur via mail according to the IRS.

Other characteristics of this scam include:

• Scammers use fake names and IRS badge numbers. They generally use common names and surnames to identify themselves.
• Scammers may be able to recite the last four digits of a victim’s Social Security Number.
• Scammers spoof the IRS toll-free number on caller ID to make it appear that it’s the IRS calling.
• Scammers sometimes send bogus IRS emails to some victims to support their bogus calls.
• Victims hear background noise of other calls being conducted to mimic a call site.
• After threatening victims with jail time or driver’s license revocation, scammers hang up and others soon call back pretending to be from the local police or DMV, and the caller ID supports their claim.