June
1, 2016
Richmond
Police detectives are warning citizens about a scam in which callers are posing
as agents of the Internal Revenue Service who claim to be collecting overdue
taxes.
During
the past week, detectives have been alerted to a few occurrences of this scam.
Scammers impersonating IRS agents contact a citizen and state they are calling
about an outstanding tax bill.
“In
the cases we’ve seen, the caller has typically had some piece of personal
information, such as a social security number, to attempt to make the call
appear more legitimate,” said Fourth Precinct Sergeant Brian Prendergast.
Credit
card or bank account numbers are requested by the caller to settle the supposed
outstanding debt. In an effort to intimidate the victim into sending money, the
caller will threaten the victim with arrest or jail time.
Of
the reports made to the Richmond Police Department, none of the individuals
contacted provided any money to the callers who contacted them.
According
to the IRS website, the agency will never call to demand immediate payment
without mailing a bill first, ask for a credit card or bank account number over
the phone, or threaten to involve law enforcement.
Richmond residents who believe they have been the victim of this or any other scam are asked to
call the Richmond Police non-emergency line at 646-5100 to file a police
report. Individuals who live elsewhere are encouraged to contact their local police department.
IRS
scams should also be reported to the Federal Trade Commission using the FTC Complaint
Assistant and to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration
using the IRS
Impersonation Scam Reporting website.
