Nassau Police Warn Residents of Phone Scams

Various types of Internal Revenue Service phone scams have been recently reported across Nassau County, according to County Executive Edward P. Mangano and Acting Police Commissioner Thomas C. Krumpter.

Officials warned residents on Thursday to be vigilant when receiving telephone solicitations or emails from possible scammers.

These particular calls are from people posing as IRS employees who claim the resident or one of their family members owe money for unpaid taxes.

The residents are told by the scammers they can avoid arrest, foreclosure or suspension/termination of services if they make payment.

Police want residents to know the IRS will never ask for credit card numbers over the phone, nor request a pre-paid debit card or wire transfer.

During these phone calls, scammers commonly:

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

Scammers are always finding new ways to steal resident’s personal information. Sometimes you might get a caller who demands money because “your niece is in jail in Mexico,” or “your grandson just hit a car and drove away.”

It’s good for residents to stay informed on what strange tactics these criminals will come up with next.

Other possible phone scams include:

• Recorded calls from the New York State Office for the Aging asking for personal information
• Kidnapped or arrested family members
• Family member involved in a car crash
• Calls from government agencies
• Utility Companies (PSEG or National Grid) scams where callers claim they are going to turn off your power of gas if you don’t pay them.
• Lottery sweepstakes, prize winners
• Solicitations (debt relief)
• Ebay or Craigslist scams where you are sent a check for more money than the item is worth. The person will ask you to deposit the check and send them their money back. The check will bounce and then will ask you to send it through another method.

If you believe you may have been a victim of any of these scams, please call 911 immediately.

Anyone with information that could lead to the arrest of the individual(s) responsible are asked to call Nassau County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS (8477). All calls remain anonymous.