Crime & Safety
IRS Fraud Scams Salem Resident Out of $10K
The Salem Police Department is warning the public about an Internal Revenue Service scam targeting the elderly.
The Salem Police Department is warning the public about an Internal Revenue Service scam targeting the elderly. Police have fielded numerous complaints about an IRS scam this week, including one victim scammed out of more than $10,000.
Salem police said the scam works as follows:
- A male and/or female caller tells the victim that he/she is calling from the IRS and they found that the victim has underpaid their taxes for a few years. The victim is then told that the IRS has been sending certified letters that have gone unanswered. The victim is then told that he/she owes a certain amount of money, usually in the thousands of dollars.
- The caller then tells the victim that a Sheriff is on the way to arrest him/her unless a payment is sent immediately. The victim is then told to go to Home Depot and purchase a certain amount of Green Dot Visa money cards. The caller stays on the phone with the victim while the person drives to Home Depot to get the cards. Once the victim gets the Green Dot Visa cards, the caller will ask for the card number off of the back. Once the caller has these numbers, they immediately transfer the money into a separate account believed to be overseas. The money is then gone from these card accounts.
- If the caller is successful in obtaining money from the victim, he/she will call again and try to get the victim to send more money. The callers have a heavy accent and the caller ID number will be from the 202 area code.
• If you owe, or think you might owe federal taxes, hang up and call the IRS at 800-829-1040. IRS workers can help you with your payment questions.
Here are a few warning signs so you can protect yourself and avoid becoming a victim of these crimes:
• Be wary of any unexpected phone or email communication allegedly from the IRS.
• Don’t fall for phone and phishing email scams that use the IRS as a lure. Thieves often pose as the IRS using a bogus refund or warnings to pay past-due taxes.
• The IRS usually first contacts people by mail – not by phone – about unpaid taxes.
• The IRS won’t ask for payment using a pre-paid debit card or wire transfer. The IRS also won’t ask for a credit card number over the phone.
• The IRS doesn’t initiate contact with taxpayers by email to request personal or financial information. This includes any type of e-communication, such as text messages and social media channels.
• The IRS doesn’t ask for PINs, passwords or similar confidential information for credit card or bank.
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