Mount Kisco Woman Falls Victim To USA's Top Phone Scam

MOUNT KISCO, NY — A Mount Kisco woman fell victim to the nation's top phone scam: the one pretending to be from the Internal Revenue Service.

She reported to Westchester County police June 26 that she was scammed out of $4,000 by a person claiming to be from the IRS. The woman said she received a call saying she was in tax arrears and she followed the caller’s instructions to purchase gift cards and call back with the numbers associated with them.

She was the second Mount Kisco resident who reported in June that she had been victimized by a scam phone caller. On June 14 a 28-year-old told Westchester County Police that she had been scammed out of $3,000 by a caller who told her he was from the Social Security Administration.

Westchester County police remind residents that the government will not contact taxpayers by phone and will never ask for payment of any kind through gift cards.

Crooks are currently hounding residents of Rockland County with a locally frequent phone scam. The con artists are posing as utility company employees.

Top scams nationwide include:

1. IRS impersonation scams
2. Robocalls / unsolicited phone calls
3. Sweepstakes / Jamaican lottery scam
4. "Can you hear me?" scam
5. Grandparent scam
6. Computer scam
7. Romance scam
8. Elder financial abuse
9. Identity theft
10. Government grant scam

Common Scams and Frauds offers these resources and tips:

• Report telephone scams to the Federal Trade Commission, either online or by phone at 1-877-382-4357. This is the primary government agency that collects scam complaints.
• Report all robocalls and unwanted telemarketing calls to the Do Not Call Registry.
• Report caller ID spoofing to the Federal Communications Commission either online or by phone at 1-888-225-5322.

Do

• Register your phone number with the Do Not Call Registry. Calls after you're on it are likely scams.
• Be wary of callers claiming that you’ve won a prize or vacation package.
• Hang up on suspicious phone calls.
• Be cautious of caller ID. Scammers can change the phone number that shows up on your caller ID screen. This is called “spoofing.”
• Research business opportunities, charities, or travel packages separately from the information the caller has provided.

Don’t

• Don’t give in to pressure to take immediate action.
• Don’t say anything if a caller starts the call asking, “Can you hear me?” This is a common tactic for scammers to record you saying “yes.” Scammers record your “yes” response to use as proof that you agreed to a purchase or credit card charge.
• Don’t provide your credit card number, bank account information, or other personal information to a caller.
• Don’t send money if the caller tells you to wire money or pay with a prepaid debit card.

SEE ALSO:

• Aggressive Utility Scams Calling In Clarkstown
  
• Wave Of Phone Scams Hits Hudson Valley
• Scammers Are Scaring, Extorting Millions From Your Aging Parents
• Accused Grandparent Scammer Picked Up 'Bail' Money
• Off-Duty Utility Company Employee Thwarts Scam
• Putnam Sheriff Warns Of Summer Phone Scam
  
• 'Kidnapping' Phone Scams Increasing in the Mid-Hudson Valley