A LaPorte woman is out $600 after being duped by an IRS phone scam, LaPorte Police report.
The victim told police she received a call on Feb. 20, 2015, from a man at “Russ Card Live” who said he was with the IRS. He told the woman she was being sued and that she needed to send $600 via a MoneyGram prepaid card to an address in California. She sent the money, then later learned of the scam.
Police warn that this is a common scam right now locally and nationally, with aggressive callers claiming to be IRS employees. Victims are told they owe money that must be paid immediately or face arrest, suspension of driver’s license or even deportation in the case of immigrants. In some cases the callers may promise a refund to trick you into sharing personal information. They may already know information about the potential victims and usually alter Caller ID to reflect that the IRS is calling. Hang up on such callers and do not give out or confirm any personal or financial information.
If you get a phone call from someone claiming to be from the IRS, take these steps:
— If you know you owe taxes or you think you might owe taxes, call the IRS at 1.800.829.1040. IRS employees at that number can help you with a payment issue – if there really is an issue.
— If you know you don’t owe taxes or have no reason to think that you owe taxes (for example, you’ve never received a bill or the caller made bogus threats as described above), call and report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 1.800.366.4484.
— You can file a complaint using the FTC Complaint Assistant at www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov. Choose “Other” and then “Imposter Scams.” If the complaint involves someone impersonating the IRS, include the words “IRS Telephone Scam” in the notes.