A phone scam that’s making its way through the Florida Panhandle has Tallahassee Police warning area residents to be careful.
TPD Spokesman David Northway, says in this case, the scammers are pretending to be the IRS:
“These scammers are calling people on the phone and demanding payment for fictitious back taxes and requesting for them to go and get a credit card that can be preloaded with money, and then giving them the number over the phone so they can then cash that money,” said Northway.
And, he wants residents to know how to tell the difference between what the IRS will and won’t do.
“The IRS will not call about your taxes and say that you owe taxes, first of all, you would get something officially in the mail before a phone call,” added Northway. “They would never demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount that you owe. They would never require you to use a specific payment type, they would never ask for a credit card or a debit card, and they would never threaten to bring in the local police in order to enforce the taxes that you owe back.”
As far as TPD knows, they have not yet received any calls about the scam. But, in areas like Madison and Bay counties, its already hit residents pretty hard. In fact, last week, Madison County Sheriff’s deputies were averaging 30 complaints a day.
Those who get any calls should either use the IRS' reporting website at www.tigta.gov or call your local law enforcement to tell them about the scam.
For more news updates, follow Sascha Cordner on Twitter: @SaschaCordner.
