PORT TOWNSEND — Police are warning residents to be leery of a telephone scam in which callers pose as Internal Revenue Service agents and demand money owed to the federal government.
The callers aren’t from the IRS, and the phone calls are just the latest tax-season scam trying to extort money from unsuspecting victims, Port Townsend Police Detective Luke Bogues said.
Bogues has received several reports of the scam in the past month and suspects that many other calls have gone unreported.
So far, no city resident has reported falling victim to the tax-collection scam, Bogues said.
The suspicious, sometimes threatening calls are being made by individuals with strong foreign accents purporting to be collecting tax debts, Bogues said.
They demand immediate payment with a pre-loaded debit card or wire transfer.
The caller often threatens the victim with arrest, deportation or suspension of a business or driver’s license.
“In many cases, the caller becomes hostile and insulting,” Bogues said in a news release.
“Thieves who run this scam often use common names and fake IRS badge numbers, know the last four digits of the victim’s Social Security Number, make caller ID appear as if the IRS is calling, send fake IRS emails to support the bogus calls, and call a second time claiming to be the police or department of motor vehicles.”
The Port Townsend police department does not have the jurisdictional authority or resources to investigate these crimes, which typically originate from outside the country.
Officers will take reports from residents who have suffered a financial loss because of phone scams.
Such reports are used to obtain reimbursement from banks, credit unions, credit card companies and other financial institutions, Bogues said.
Residents who have not suffered a financial loss are asked to report fraud attempts to the proper federal authorities.
For tax-related concerns, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration can be reached at 800-366-4484.
Residents receiving scam calls can also file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov or by calling 877-382-4357.
For repeated fraudulent phone calls, victims can contact their telephone provider about call-blocking options, Bogues said.
If a caller threatens to injure a person or property, phone 9-1-1.
