Phone Scam Alert From Tekamah Police Department

November 12, 2014 Leave a comment


An aggressive and sophisticated phone scam targeting taxpayers, , has been making the rounds throughout Tekamah and Burt County. Callers claim to be employees of the IRS, but are not. These con artists can sound convincing when they call. They use fake names and bogus IRS identification badge numbers. They may know a lot about their targets, and they usually alter the caller ID to make it look like the IRS is calling.

Victims are told they owe money to the IRS and it must be paid promptly through a pre-loaded debit card or wire transfer. If the victim refuses to cooperate, they are then threatened with arrest, deportation or suspension of a business or driver’s license. In many cases, the caller becomes hostile and insulting.
Or, victims may be told they have a refund due to try to trick them into sharing private information. 

If the phone isn’t answered, the scammers often leave an “urgent” callback request.

Note that the IRS will never: 1) call to demand immediate payment, nor will the agency call about taxes owed without first having mailed you a bill; 2) demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe; 3) require you to use a specific payment method for your taxes, such as a prepaid debit card; 4) ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone; or 5) threaten to bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.

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Fake IRS Scam Sweeping the Nation

March 29, 2014 Leave a comment


A fast moving phone scam called the largest of its kind is targeting taxpayers across the country. Victims have reported threats of arrest, deportation or loss of a business or driver’s license.

What makes this timely scam so tricky? The scammers impersonate Internal Revenue Service (IRS) agents and demand payment for taxes owed, and often:
know the last four digits of the victim’s Social Security number;
make caller ID appear as if the IRS is calling;
send follow-up bogus IRS emails to support their scam; and
call a second time claiming to be the police or Department of Motor Vehicles, and caller ID again supports their claim.

The IRS usually 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, nor will they involve law enforcement or immigration agencies.

WHAT TO DO:
If you or a family member receives one of these calls, your best bet is to hang up. But if you do get into a conversation, do not give anyone money or credit card information over the phone and don’t trust callers who use threats or insults to bully you.

Mary Loftis

Mary Loftis

NEXT STEPS:
Report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 1-800-366-4484. File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at http://www.ftc.gov. Add “IRS Telephone Scam” to the comments in your complaint.

If you owe or think you owe federal taxes, call the IRS directly at 1-800-829-1040 to verify information. For more information, visit http://www.irs.gov.

Please help spread the word about this tax season scam by sharing this information with your friends and family.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of identity theft or fraud, contact the AARP Foundation Fraud Fighter Center at 1-800-646-2283.

Mary Loftis,
Extension Assistant
UNL Extension – Burt County
111 North 13th Street, Suite 6
Tekamah, NE 68061
Phone: (402) 374-2929
Fax: (402) 374-2930
Internet: mloftis2@unl.edu

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