Police Warn Avon Residents About Bogus IRS Scam

AVON, CT - The Avon Police Department has received many calls from Avon residents who report having been called from scammers purporting to be from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), according to a written statement released by the department.

The scam phone calls can seem legitimate and the callers can be particularly aggressive. The scammers tell potential victims that they owe money that must be paid immediately to the IRS and that they may face arrest from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) or from local police if they do not pay.

Residents need to be very aware that these calls are not legitimate phone calls. The FBI, the IRS, and other government agencies do not call people on the phone or send emails to demand money or threaten arrest. If you get a call of this type, hang up, and never send the caller money. The IRS will always send taxpayers a written notification of any tax due through the U.S. mail.

The contact number for the IRS is 1-800-829-1040. They can help you with a payment issue, if there really is an issue. Fraudulent emails purporting to be from the IRS should be forwarded to phishing@irs.gov.

If you've been targeted by this scam, you should also file a consumer complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftc.gov and add "IRS Telephone Scam" to the comments of your complaint.

Residents are reminded to always protect their personal information and to be suspicious of these types of scams, especially if the caller cannot be verified as legitimate. Also, never wire money to someone you don’t know personally.

For further questions or concerns, contact the Avon Police Department at 860-409-4200.