Forest Park Police Warn of Phone Scammers

From the Forest Park Police Department:

Over the past few days Forest Park Police Department has been contacted by two separate individuals who have received phone calls from "would-be scammers" who are threatening arrest if debt owed to the IRS isn't paid immediately. 

"We had two reports within two days," said Deputy Chief Tom Aftanas "and there may be others that haven't been reported yet so it's important that we spread the word and warn our residents."

In both cases the callers identified themselves as representatives from the Internal Revenue Service or National Crime Bureau, informing the potential victim that they owed in excess of $3,000 and threatening them with imminent arrest if the payment isn't made immediately.  In one case the victim was instructed to purchase a Moneypak Card and was to provide the pin number to the company once it was loaded with the required amount.

About a month ago, Cook County Sheriff's Police warned residents in the Maine Township area about a similar scam specifically targeting immigrants from India.  Several area residents were contacted by phone and threatened with arrest or deportation if they failed to pay a supposed debt.

In the Maine Township cases, the Sheriff's office reported that the callers sometimes spoke to potential victims in Hindi, Gujarati and possibly other Indian dialects.

"Through our investigation we discovered that the calls were coming from a 214 area code associated with a Phantom Debt Collector who identify themselves as being from a 'crime bureau' and/or being 'federal' and demand funds for tax violations," Aftanas reported, adding "It's imperative our community is warned not to pay any amount of money over the phone to anyone and to report any suspicious calls to the Police Department right away."

Anyone who has received a phone call of this nature should contact the Forest Park Police Department at 708-366-2425.