LAWRENCE: Local man loses $3,200 in phony IRS scam

A 52-year-old Fountayne Lane resident was scammed out of $3,200 last week by a telephone caller who was impersonating a federal Internal Revenue Service agent

By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
   A 52-year-old Fountayne Lane resident was scammed out of $3,200 last week by a telephone caller who was impersonating a federal Internal Revenue Service agent, according to police Lt. Joseph Amodio.
   The caller told the victim that he owed money to the IRS and that if it was not paid, he would be arrested, Lt. Amodio said. The caller directed the victim to purchase pre-paid debit cards, which he did. He gave the caller the number on the back of the cards.
   ”He realized he got scammed and he called the police,” Lt. Amodio said.
   But it was too late. The victim lost $3,200 to the phony IRS agent.
   And with the April 15 deadline to file income tax returns quickly approaching, this is a vulnerable time for many people, Lt. Amodio said. That’s why it is important to use caution on the telephone and to question the caller, he said.
   ”The normal procedure for the Internal Revenue Service (to notify a taxpayer) is to go through the mail,” he said. “Do not accept somebody on the phone telling you they are an Internal Revenue Service agent. Use caution. Verify whom you are talking to. Don’t feel like you have to do (whatever they tell you to do).”
   The Internal Revenue Service itself has issued a warning not to be fooled by the telephone scam, which it says targets taxpayers — including recent immigrants — throughout the United States, according to the agency’s website at http://www.irs.gov.
   Victims are told they owe money and that it must be paid promptly through a pre-loaded debit card or wire transfer. If the victim refuses to cooperate, the caller threatens the victim with arrest, deportation or the suspension of the driver’s license or business license.
   Persons who receive a call from someone claiming to be an Internal Revenue Service agent and who think they owe income taxes or that they might owe income taxes should call the agency at 1-800-829-1040 to speak to a real agent.
   Persons who know they don’t owe taxes or who have no reason to believe that they do owe taxes — for example, never having received a bill or if the caller makes threats — should report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 1-800-366-4484.
   Victims of a telephone scam, such as the one that was played out on the Fountayne Lane resident, should contact the Federal Trade Commission and use their “FTC Complaint Assistant” at www.FTC.gov, and add “IRS telephone scam” to the comments section of the complaint.
   The Internal Revenue Service does not ask for credit card numbers over the telephone, nor does it request a pre-paid debit card or wire transfer. The initial contact with the federal agency is through a letter in the mail — not over the telephone or through email, text messages or social media channels.
   The Internal Revenue Service does not ask for PINs, passwords or similar confidential access information for credit card, bank or other financial accounts. Recipients should not open any attachments or click on any links contained in an email message. Instead, the email should be forwarded to [email protected].