Pinellas Detectives Warn Residents About IRS Phone Call Scam

PINELLAS COUNTY, FL — Pinellas County sheriff's detectives are encouraging the public to be on the alert to a recent phone scam in Pinellas County.

Detectives were first notified of the phone scam on Wednesday after someone called a resident who alerted the sheriff's office.

According to detectives, the caller identifies himself as an Internal Revenue Service employee working with the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office regarding a warrant to collect money he claims is owed to the government. The victim’s caller ID displays the number, 727-582-6181, which is a phone number assigned to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.

The caller may know the victim’s name, a family member’s name and the address of the person being called. Scammers often trick victims into thinking the call is legitimate by “spoofing” or disguising the caller ID number to display a known or trusted source.

Detectives say there have been multiple incidents in which Pinellas County residents have been targeted using this scam.

In previous phone scams, callers have instructed the resident to go to the nearest store to purchase gift cards or prepaid debit cards and provide the numbers on the back of the card to have the warrant purged from the system.

The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office will never call residents requesting money over the telephone. Detectives advise citizens not to give personal information or account information over the phone and call the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office to report suspicious activity.

Anyone who has information on this scam or has become a victim should call the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office at 727-582-6200.