Avon Lake Woman Loses $5,000 In Scam

AVON LAKE, OH — An Avon Lake woman tried to save her elderly neighbor from an IRS scam last week. The neighbor may have lost up to $5,000 in the scheme.

Police were called to a home on Ashwood Drive on August 29. Officers were told a scam was happening at that very moment and that an elderly woman was the possible victim. The woman was trying to get into a cab to go buy more gift cards for someone she was talking to on her phone, police records said.

When police arrived, the woman said she got a phone call from someone with the IRS. The man told the woman she had an arrest warrant in Texas and needed to purchase gift cards to settle the warrant.

The woman pulled money out of her bank and bought $5,000 of Home Depot gift cards. She then read the numbers on the cards to the man on the phone. She then became suspicious, police records said.

The man on the phone ordered the woman a cab and told her to go to another Home Depot to purchase more gift cards. Then her neighbor intervened and the police arrived.

So-called "IRS scams" are extremely common. A caller will frequently target elderly people and tell them they're behind on paying their taxes. To remedy the backlog of taxes, the victims usually have to wire money or provide the numbers to gift cards.

The IRS said it will never demand immediate payment when contacting someone on the phone. Additionally, the IRS does not accept payment by gift cards, wire transfers or prepaid debit cards. The IRS almost always mails a bill to an individual before following up with a phone call, the agency said.

Additionally, the IRS does not threaten to involve local police in tax issues and the service cannot revoke your driver's license, business licenses or immigration status.