Yorktown Police Say to Be Aware of IRS Phone Scam

A phone scam targeting taxpayers has been making the rounds and Yorktown police want people to be aware of it.

Public Information Officer Lt. Thomas Gentner said several cases of an IRS tax scam have been reported over the past several days.

Yorktown residents are reminded to never give out personal information over the phone.

The scam was described on the IRS website as “aggressive and sophisticated,” and has included recent immigrants.

Callers claim to be IRS employees, but are not, using fake names and bogus IRS identification badge numbers. The scammers usually alter the caller ID to make it look like it’s from the IRS.

Victims are told they owe money to the agency and it must be paid promptly through a pre-loaded debit card or wire transfer.

If the victims refuses to cooperate, they are threatened with arrest, deportation or suspension of a business or driver’s license. In many cases, callers become hostile and insulting. Other scammers have told the victims they have a refund and then try to trick them into sharing private information.

If calls are not answered, urgent callback requests are made.

Yorktown police say that the IRS will not initiate by phone, email, text message or social media to ask for personal or financial information.

The real agency will also not call and demand immediate payment. They will first mail you a bill.

Neither will the IRS require payment in a specific way, such as a prepaid credit card, nor will it threaten to have you arrested for not paying.