Lacey Woman Out $6,435 After Falling For IRS Scam

Don’t let this happen to you.

An elderly Forked River woman lost $6,432 on Wednesday after she fell victim to the latest IRS telephone scam, Police Chief David A. Paprota said.

The 75-year-old woman received a call Wednesday afternoon from a man with a foreign accent - possibly Indian - claiming to be an IRS agent collecting back taxes, the chief said.

“Threats were reportedly made that the resident would be arrested if she did not make an immediate payment,” Paprota said.

The woman went to the Wells Fargo Bank on Lacey Road and followed the caller’s instructions to deposit the money into a specified account, the chief said.

“Once Lacey Township Police Department became aware of the transaction, Officer Brian Holt worked with bank officials to possibly block the transaction,” Paprota said.

The Lacey Township Police Department produced a Warning Notice from information provided on the IRS.gov website and distributed it to each of banks in town. The theft is under investigation, the chief said.