Tax Scams Reported to Troy Police

The following information about recent incidents of identity theft and other fraud is taken directly from the most recent Troy Police Department media release. 

2000 block of Mayfair, April 11: When the complainant attempted to file her taxes using Turbo Tax she was notified that someone had already filed a return using her personal information.

4000 block of Glencastle, April 8: The complainant telephoned the IRS to advise them he was having trouble e-filing his tax return. He was advised that his Social Security number had been flagged because someone had filed a fraudulent 2011 return using the complainant’s name and Social Security number.  

3000 block of Delaware, April 9-10: Elderly complainant states that he received a phone call from a male who told him that he had won a million dollars. The male told the complainant to buy a Green Dot Visa card and to load $250 on it. The complainant bought the Visa card and gave the male the card numbers over the phone. That same day, the complainant purchased two more Visa cards, for $160 and $390 respectively, and provided the numbers over the phone. The following day, the complainant was told there had been a mistake and that he had actually won five million dollars and a new Mercedes. This time, he was told to send $390 via Western Union to Jamaica, which he did. Shortly thereafter, he realized he had been scammed. 

Nordstrom (2850 W. Big Beaver Rd.), April 10: The complainant, a Saint Clair Shores resident, reports that her Chase Bank debit card number was used to make two fraudulent purchases, totaling $440.85, at the Troy Nordstrom location. 

1000 block of Lakewood, April 12: The complainant reports that she was contacted by a prospective out-of-state buyer about some furniture she had for sale on Craigslist. The buyer convinced the complainant that the complainant would need to pay the furniture movers up front and the buyer would pay her back through a PayPal account. After the complainant sent $830 via Western Union she received an email indicating that due to a typographical error she needed to send another $830. The complainant reviewed the emails she had received and noted poor grammar and other discrepancies. At that point, she realized that the PayPal account was fraudulent and that she had been scammed. 

Call Troy Police at (248) 524-3447 if you have any information about these incidents. For questions about this report, email local editor Tim Rath at tim.rath@patch.com.