Takoma Park Resident Victim of IRS Scam

TAKOMA PARK, MD — Takoma Park Police are warning residents of IRS scams due to a woman recently losing money in a scam, police said.

On Thursday, Takoma Park Police met with a woman who said she received a phone call from a person pretending to be from the IRS. The caller threatened the woman and told her she would be arrested by the Takoma Park Police if she did not provide money via electronic money cards, police said. The woman was told if she hung up the phone, an arrest warrant was automatically sent out for her arrest.

The woman did send money, police said. Investigation continues for this scam/theft. Anyone with information about this crime is asked to please call us at 301-270-1100.

The IRS and Takoma Park Police are warning the public about a phone scam that targets people across the nation, including recent immigrants. Callers claiming to be from the IRS tell intended victims they owe taxes and must pay using a pre-paid debit card or wire transfer, police said. The scammers threaten those who refuse to pay with arrest, deportation or loss of a business or driver’s license.

The callers who commit this fraud often:

• Use common names and fake IRS badge numbers.
• Know the last four digits of the victim’s Social Security number.
• Make caller ID appear as if the IRS is calling.
• Send bogus IRS emails to support their scam.
• Call a second time claiming to be the police or DMV, and caller ID again supports their claim.

The IRS will never request personal or financial information by email, texting or any social media. The agency usually first contacts people by mail – not by phone – about unpaid taxes.

If you get a call from someone claiming to be with the IRS asking for a payment, you should:

• If you owe federal taxes, or think you might owe taxes, hang up and call the IRS at 800-829-1040. IRS workers can help you with your payment questions.
• If you don’t owe taxes, call and report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 800-366-4484.
• File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at FTC.gov. Add "IRS Telephone Scam" to the comments in your complaint.
• Be alert for phone and email scams that use the IRS name. You should forward scam emails to phishing@irs.gov. Don’t open any attachments or click on any links in those emails.

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