Greenwich Police: New Citizen Loses $1,300 in Phone Scam

As a newly-minted United States citizen, this probably wasn’t the ‘Welcome to America’ that a 30-year-old Greenwich man expected.

The man went to Greenwich Police on June 5 to report that on June 1 he received his citizenship papers in the mail. “That same day there was an unknown (telephone) solicitation from a scam artist to defraud him,” said Greenwich Police spokesman Lt. Kraig Gray.

“He was told that he needed to pay back taxes or he would lose his citizenship,” Gray said. So the unidentified man followed the telephone instructions and wired money via Western Union.

“He made several transactions to different people, totaling $1,300,” Gray said.

The case has been referred to the department’s detective bureau, however, Gray said that wire transactions, especially those sent overseas are nearly impossible to trace. Gray did say it was unusual that the caller would know the victim had just become a citizen. The victim’s country of origin was not known.

Gray said that all residents should remember, “The IRS does not contact you by phone and ask for wire transfers.”