Second IRS Taxman Scam Reported in Lansdale

The first IRS taxman scam affected a Lansdale resident in May 2013, and now, a month later, another resident received calls for the same scam, police said.

Police said a resident of Cherry Street came to Lansdale Police Department on June 27 to report a fraud.

The scam involves someone calling a home and claiming to be from the "Federal Crime Control Agency" and ordering money be sent to satisfy a bogus IRS debt, police said.

The Cherry Street resident told police that her husband answered a call on June 26 from an unidentified man from the Federal Crime Control Agency, police said.

The man told the resident that there were tax problems with her husband, and if her husband did not return a call, then a warrant would be issued for his arrest, police said.  

The caller left a phone number with a 512 area code in Texas, police said. The husband called the number several times between June 26 and June 27, and reached the caller on the second day, police said.

The caller told the husband that he needed to send $3,169 or an arrest warrant would be issued, police said.

The caller told him to go to a local pharmacy and convert the cash into Greendot Money Paks, police said. The husband then provided the caller with the Money Pak serial numbers, police said. 

On June 27, there was a second call from a 919 area code in North Carolina, in which the caller attempted the same scam for $1,669.99, police said. This time, the caller hung up when the husband began asking questions, police said.   

Lansdale Police detectives continue to investigate the reported fraud.

Police encourage residents to speak with family or police before wiring money to people they do not know over the phone.