Pacifica Police Warn: Watch Out for These Scammers

PACIFICA, CA- Pacifica police are telling residents to be aware of IRS scams this tax season.

Residents may get calls from scammers who say they are with the IRS and demand money via a preloaded debit card or wire transfer. If a person refuses to pay, they are threatened with suspension of their driver’s or business license or with arrest. Many times the caller is insulting and hostile, according to police.

After threatening to have the person arrested or have their driver’s license revoked, the caller hangs up. Then another person will call pretending to be the police and a caller ID message will support the claim.

“These scammers are brazen criminals who will stop at nothing to get your money or personal information,” Pacifica police Chief Dan Steidle said in a statement.

Steidle also said that if a purported IRS representative threatens to take legal action to collect a debt, IRS representatives do not initiate contact with residents electronically.

Also, IRS representatives will first send a notice by mail before demanding payment or asking for a credit card number.

Pacifica police Capt. Joe Spanheimer said police received a lot of calls last year reporting these scams. He could not say how many people lost money, but said police will send officers to a resident’s home if a resident has questions about a possible scam. Residents can also come into the lobby to speak with an officer.

Residents who think they owe federal taxes and who get a call from someone who says they are with the IRS should go the IRS’s website where residents can find tools and the location of an IRS office where they can get help.

The IRS website is https://www.irs.gov/. Residents can report calls from scammers to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at (800) 366-4484 or at https://www.treasury.gov/tigta/.

– By Bay City News Service. Image via Shutterstock.