Phone Scam: Calls Appear to Come From Arlington Police

Arlington police is warning the public about an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) telephone scam targeting county residents.

According to police, citizens have reported receiving unsolicited phone calls from individuals fraudulently claiming to be members of the Arlington County Police Department, Arlington County Sheriff’s Office or the IRS. These individuals accuse the victims of owing money to the IRS, which must be paid immediately using iTunes gift cards or other means. The caller remains on the line while the victim purchases the payment and provides the card number over the phone.

In some cases, scammers have deliberately falsified the information transmitted to the victim’s Caller ID display to disguise their identity as the non-emergency police line.

"Citizens should not rely on their Caller ID to verify the credibility of the call," county authorities said in a statement. "Never give out personal information in response to unsolicited calls, or if you are at all suspicious."

If you receive a call of this nature, police advise people to immediately hang up with the caller and verify the claim by calling the non-emergency police line at 703-558-2222.

"Never use a phone number provided to you from the caller to verify their credibility," police said.

After making a verification call, if you find that you were a victim of a scam or were a target, police ask that you file an online police report or call the non-emergency police line at 703-558-2222. You may also report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 1-800-366-4484.

Citizens are reminded that their first contact with IRS will not be a call from out of the blue, but through official correspondence sent through the mail.

Anyone seeking more information about fraud can contact the Arlington County Police Department’s Financial Crimes Unit at FinancialCrimes@arlingtonva.us.