Here’s a tip that’ll help keep local residents from being victimized by the latest phone scam going around the U.S.
Internal Revenue Service employees will not call and tell you to place funds for payment on a pre-paid credit card or any other electronic money transfer system because your spouse is wanted for “tax evasion.”
Several people in Ada County have reported getting these calls since the beginning of September.
IRS officials put out a warning Sept. 5 that this phone scam has resurfaced all over the U.S. and want people to know it is bogus.
The IRS will always send taxpayers a written notification of any tax due via the U.S. mail. The IRS never asks for credit card, debit card or prepaid card information over the telephone.
This scam is the latest in a series of phone scams where criminals call homes and businesses and pretend to be law enforcement officers, court officials, government agents, or utility employees who demand money for bogus reasons.
The scammers then tell their victims to go to a store, get a pre-paid credit card (like a Green Dot), load it up with money, and then call a phone number with the card information.
Giving out sensitive information over the phone — both personal and financial — can put people at risk for fraud.
Go here to get more information on this scam and how to contact the IRS if you’ve received one of these calls.