Scam Targeting Westchester Residents Demands Tax Payments

WHITE PLAINS, NY — Another scam targeting Westchester County residents—especially seniors—is making the rounds.

County Clerk Timothy C. Idoni said the scammers are impersonating state Department of Taxation and Finance officials and making demands for payment of taxes they falsely claim are owed.

“The calls appear on Caller ID as tax department numbers,” Idoni said. “These calls are not coming from the tax department, and you should not respond to these calls.”

According to a release from the Department of Taxation and Finance, the scammers are using sophisticated methods to mask their phone numbers with the tax department’s fraud hotline numbers—518-457-5181 or 518-457-0578.

Idoni said the Tax Department will never use the fraud hotline numbers to contact taxpayers.

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He said residents, especially seniors, should be on the lookout for signs of possible scam phone calls, such as the use of scare tactics to get them to share personal and financial information.

Red flags are calls from imposters demanding payment in the form of iTunes gift cards or reloadable debit cards.

Idoni said Tax Department employees will not threaten a taxpayer for failure to pay a tax debt. They will not use email, text messages or social media to request or discuss personal or tax information, nor will they demand payment of taxes without giving the person an option to question or appeal the amount owed.

Idoni said that anyone who thinks they’ve had contact with individuals claiming to be Tax Department employees, including any suspicious phone calls, voicemail, text messages or emails should call 518-451-1566 or email dtfoia@tax.ny.gov.

Alternatively, you can report the scam through the Fraud, Scams and Identity Theft section of the Tax Department website at www.tax.ny.gov.

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