The St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office
is advising the public to be aware of scam telephone calls from individuals
claiming to be from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The caller is an individual posing as an IRS
agent, or law enforcement official collecting debts on behalf of the IRS, in
attempt to extort money. The
perpetrators will identify themselves as either IRS Agents, or members of law
enforcement and will inform the person receiving the call they have overdue
taxes and will demand the bill be paid immediately. The caller will want the citizen to pay the
overdue bill either through a wire transfer or via a prepaid debit card. In the event the person refuses to pay, the
caller will often threaten arrest or suspension of the person’s driver’s
license. Some of these callers may actually “spoof” the telephone number of the
IRS or local law enforcement, to appear legitimate, as the number will show IRS
or law enforcement on caller ID. In an effort to add further legitimacy, the
caller may provide personal information they were able to obtain from public
sources or social media. Warning signs of a financial scam may include
requesting payment immediately, agreeing to work secretly to avoid
embarrassment, or directing payment go through third parties or via unconventional
methods such as gift cards.
Citizens who have received scam
telephone calls may report them to the Treasury Inspector General Administration
(TIGTA) through its IRS Impersonation Scam Reporting web page at https://www.gov/tigta/contact_report_scam.shtml. The IRS has information at www.irs.gov that can help citizens protect
themselves from tax scams of all types. If you have been the victim of a scam, or have
questions about suspicious calls concerning debt collection, contact the St.
Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office at (301) 475-8008.
For official news and
information, follow the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office on Twitter
@firstsheriff.
