Chief’s Corner
By Chief Steven J. Wojnar Dudley Police Department Tax filing season has come to an end; however, a variety of “scams” continue. Unsuspecting people may become a victim of a larceny or identity theft in an IRS scam. People in our area have been contacted by scammers in the past and told they have tax issues. The IRS tries to provide warnings to citizens. I wanted to remind the readers of this column of some precautions to take. According to the Internal Revenue Service, victims have been called, or notified electronically, and told they owe money to the IRS. Generally, victims are informed they must pay promptly, for example 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. These scams have occurred in nearly every state in the country. The IRS warns of the following: Scammers may use fake names and IRS badge numbers. They generally use common names and surnames to identify themselves. Scammers may be able to recite the last four digits of a victim’s Social Security Number. They can spoof the IRS toll-free number on caller ID to make it appear that it’s the IRS calling. Scammers sometimes send bogus IRS emails to some victims to support their calls. Victims hear background noise of other calls being conducted to mimic a call site. After threatening victims with jail time or driver’s license revocation, scammers hang up and others soon call back pretending to be from the local police or DMV, and the caller ID supports their claim. The IRS provides the following recommendations: If you know or think you owe taxes, call the IRS at 1.800.829.1040. The IRS employees at that line can help you with a payment issue – if one really exists. If you know you don’t owe taxes or have no reason to think that you owe any (for example, you’ve never received a bill or the caller made some bogus threats as described above), then report the incident to the Tax Scams - How to Report Them | Internal Revenue Service (irs.gov) or call them at 1-800-366-4484. |
If you’ve been targeted by this scam, you should also contact the Federal Trade Commission and use their “ReportFraud.ftc.gov.” More information on this subject can also be found at IRS.Gov.
The IRS reminds everyone they do not initiate contact with taxpayers by email, text messages or social media channels to request personal or financial information. Additionally, the IRS does not threaten taxpayers with lawsuits, imprisonment, or other enforcement actions. In addition, the Dudley Police are not coming out to arrest you for an IRS Tax matter. Being able to recognize these tell-tale signs of a tax scam, could save you from becoming a victim. You can always contact your bank, tax professional, the police, or other organizations before you conduct any transactions. If everything is legitimate, there should be time to research any request or demand. Some simple steps can allow you to make informed decisions and avoid becoming a victim. Thanks again for your questions and comments. Please send them to me at the Dudley Police Department 71 West Main St. Dudley, MA. 01571 or email at swojnar@dudleypolice.com. Opinions expressed in this weekly column are those of Chief Wojnar only and unless clearly noted, do not reflect the ideas or opinions of any other organization or citizen. |
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