Ocean Township Police Warn Of Recurring IRS Scam

OCEAN TOWNSHIP, NJ - If you get a phone call from someone claiming to be an Internal Revenue Service agent telling you that you owe the agency money, just hang up.

That's the advice the Ocean Township police have for you. The department has received a barrage of complaints from residents recently.

"The Police Department is asking residents to BEWARE," according to the department's Facebook page.

The scam consists of an “agent” calling victims, telling them they owe money to the IRS and possibly asking for personal information. The caller demands the victim pay up with a pre-paid debit card or other ways.

"If the victim refuses, the "agent" threatens to call the police to have the victim arrested," the post states. "It appears these calls are originating from outside the USA."

If you receive a call regarding taxes owed, the IRS encourages you to do the following:
• If you know you owe taxes or think you might owe taxes, call the IRS at 1-800-829-1040. The IRS employees at that line can help you.
• If you know you don’t owe taxes or have no reason to think that you owe any taxes (for example, you've never received a bill), then call and report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General at 1-800-366-4484.

For more information on the “IRS Telephone Scam”, visit the Internal Revenue Service website at www.irs.gov

Image: Ocean Township Police Department