Crime & Safety

Police Warn of IRS Phone Scams Targeting Nassau Residents

Scammers claim residents can avoid jail by paying taxes over the phone, cops said.

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Another round of phone scammers claiming to be from the Internal Revenue Service are targeting Nassau County residents, investigators said Monday.

Nassau County Police said multiple residents have reportedly received calls from people claiming to be federal employees.

These scammers call a resident and claim the resident or one of their family members owe money for unpaid taxes, cops said. Callers then say the victims could face jail, foreclosure, or suspension and termination of services but can avoid consequences by making a payment, police said.

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In previous months, officers said the scams can cost residents “thousands of unrecoverable dollars.”

“The IRS does not and will not ask for credit card numbers over the phone, nor request a pre-paid debit card or wire transfer,” Nassau police said in a statement.

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Several variations of the scam have been reported, police said, and include:

  • Scammers using fake names and IRS badge numbers. They generally use common names and surnames to identify themselves.
  • Scammers may be able to recite the last four digits of a victim’s Social Security Number.
  • Scammers spoof the IRS toll-free number on caller ID to make it appear that it’s the IRS calling.
  • Scammers sometimes send bogus IRS emails to some victims to support their bogus calls.
  • Victims hear background noise of other calls being conducted to mimic a call site.
  • After threatening victims with jail time or driver’s license revocation, scammers hang up and others soon call back pretending to be from the local police or DMV, and the caller ID supports their claim.

Detectives are asking anyone who believes they are a victim or have received a scam call to dial 911 immediately. Anyone with information that could lead to an arrest should also call 1-800-244-TIPS. All callers will remain anonymous.

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