Clarkstown Woman Falls Victim To IRS Scam: Police

CLARKSTOWN, NY — Clarkstown Police report a resident recently fell victim to the IRS telephone scam. They were called by the 65-year-old who told them she had been called by a person and told she owed $9,000 to the IRS. She was told she would be arrested if she didn't pay the money immediately.

She was instructed to purchase $9,000 worth of Target and Best Buy gift cards and relay the gift card pin number to the man who called. The woman feared being arrested, so she did.

The Clarkstown resident later realized that she was victim of a scam and called the police to report it. She will follow up this matter with her financial institutions and the fraud departments of said businesses.

Police said they cannot stress enough that the IRS will never call and demand payment of any type or face arrest.

RECOGNIZING A SCAM

• Residents should know that the IRS will never:
• Call and demand immediate payment (the IRS will never call without first having mailed you a bill);
• Initiate contact with taxpayers by email, text messages or social media channels to request personal or financial information;
• Demand you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to appeal;
• Require specific types of payment for your taxes;
• Ask for your credit card number over the phone; or
• Threaten to bring in law enforcement to arrest you for lack of payment.

REPORTING A SCAM

If residents think they are victims of a phone scam, or know they do not owe taxes or have no reason to think that they owe any taxes, they should not give callers any information. They should call and report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 1-800-366-4484. Residents can also file a complaint using the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Complaint Assistant.

If the complaint involves someone impersonating the IRS, include the words “IRS Telephone Scam” in the notes. New Yorkers can also see the Attorney General’s IRS Phone Scam brochure or call the New York State Attorney General’s Hotline at 1-800-771-7755.

Residents should report all unsolicited email claiming to be from the IRS or an IRS-related function to mailto:phishing@irs.gov. If you've experienced any monetary losses due to an IRS-related incident, please report it to the Treasury Inspector General Administration (TIGTA) and file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) through their Complaint Assistant to make the information available to investigators.

SEE ALSO: IRS Phone Scam Targets Clarkstown Residents