Beware Of IRS Phone Scams, Radnor Police Warn

As tax filing season gets underway, the Radnor Township Police Department is issuing a warning about IRS phone scams.

Residents should beware of phone calls from individuals claiming to represent the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) or the United States Treasury Department in an effort to defraud them, police say.

Here’s what to watch out for, according to Radnor Police:

• The callers inform the victims of a “tax deficiency” or other made-up offense, and threaten imminent arrest, foreclosure, deportation, or other dire consequence unless the victims make immediate payment using pre-paid GreenDot debit cards.
• The telephone version of the scam usually involves a male caller who sometimes speaks in broken English with a a heavy accent.
• The caller informs the resident that they own back taxes or other monies to the Federal Government. If they fail to make immediate payment they are threatened with arrest.
• The most recent phone calls scams are portrayed by the caller stating that they are calling from the IRS, US Treasury Department, or a Federal Magistrates Court.
• The call could also be a recorded message. Phone numbers associated with the latest robo calling are: (315)-879-6842, (229)-231-3343, (302)-927-7841, (862)-800-0234.
• In addition to the victims’ telephone numbers or electronic mail addresses, the criminals often have pieces of the victims’ other identifying information, such as name, address or the last four digits of your social security number, which they use to make their attempts appear more authentic.

Radnor Police say if you are contacted by one of these scammers, hang up immediately and call 9-1-1 to report the incident.