EDISON — Police are warning the public about a phone scam that has targeted several township residents who are of Asian descent.
The incidents involve scammers misrepresenting themselves as members of the Internal Revenue Service, the FBI and, most recently, the Edison Township Police Department, according to police.
Over the past few months, the suspects have called Asian-American residents and said they owe back taxes to the federal government. The scammers advised the victims to pay the money immediately to void the purported warrant for their arrest.
The victims are told to purchase prepaid credit cards at Walmart or other retailers, and to forward the account information to the perpetrators.
In some cases, the amounts requested are several thousands of dollars, police said.
Police are asking that members of the public report any suspicious phone calls they believe to be related to this scam to Special Agent John McBride of the U.S. Department of Treasury at 732-418-3909 or to their local police department.