Crime & Safety

IRS Phone Scam Hits Hingham

Police in Hingham are warning residents to watch out for the scam.

From the Hingham Police Department:

On Monday, November 16, we received complaints from 10 residents who received messages from callers claiming to be from the I.R.S. The messages warned threatened they owed taxes and would be “sued” and “court action” would be taken if they did not call back. Most of these residents were in their 60’s or 70’s. This is known as the “I.R.S. Phone Scam” yesterday. It’s the same scam that has been around for years. It continues year round.

Fortunately, all of these residents recognized it as a scam and did not send any money or give any personal information. All of the calls came from area code 206.

Find out what's happening in Hinghamfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

The I.R.S. will never call you to collect money and no government agency will ever call and threaten arrest or court action. They will also never call to ask you for personal information such as banking account numbers or Social Security numbers. The I.R.S. uses U.S. Mail to contact you initially.

If you receive a similar call or a similar voice mails, always hang up and simply delete the message. Never call them back. As a reminder, you only need to report them to the Police if you provide any personal information or send money.

Find out what's happening in Hinghamfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

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