Fake IRS phone calls are scamming Valley residents Posted: Nov 06, 2014 8:22 PM EST Updated: Nov 06, 2014 8:35 PM EST BOARDMAN TOWNSHIP, Ohio - The Boardman Police Department and the Better Business Bureau are telling residents across the Mahoning Valley that scammers are targeting this area by phone. The BBB has received over 30 phone calls reporting the scam this week, while Boardman police received over 20 reports on Thursday alone. The scam works like this: Someone calls claiming to be from the IRS saying you owe money (whether it be from defrauding the government, money from back taxes, lawsuits pending and failure to pay taxes). The caller then intimidates you with a range of threats. These threats include confiscating property, freezing accounts or arrest. Instead of paying the thousands of dollars to resolve the matter, you are advised to make an immediate payment ranging from $500 to $1,500 through a wire transfer or prepaid money card. Often, the scammers are backing their claim by using caller ID that says IRS, and sometimes have access to a persons personal information like a Social Security number. Fake emails claiming to originate from the IRS usually come after the phone call. The IRS will reach out to taxpayers about unpaid taxes through the mail first. The IRS does not request a certain type of payment, nor will they ask for immediate payment over the phone. Finally, the IRS will call during normal business office hours and will not threaten or swear at taxpayers. The BBB reminds you that if you get a call that you think is a scam, do not give any personal information and never authorize payments over the phone.
Posted on: Fri, 07 Nov 2014 11:37:20 +0000
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