Full Notification

Every year, thousands of people become victims of telephone and email scams.  Some scams can be quite elaborate, and therefore, seem more believable.  The Manhattan Beach Police Department asks that you be wary of unsolicited calls, and never provide your personal information to an unsolicited caller.

Here are some examples of scams that have been reported to the Police Department by Manhattan Beach residents.

Internal Revenue Service (IRS) / Department of Treasury Scam

The Department of Treasury has warned about a sophisticated phone scam targeting taxpayers throughout the country, including residents in Manhattan Beach. Victims are told they owe money to the IRS and it must be paid promptly through a pre-loaded debit card or wire transfer. If the victim refuses to cooperate, they are then threatened with arrest, deportation, or suspension of a business or driver’s license.

The callers who commit the fraud often utilize an automated robocall machine, use common names and fake IRS badge numbers, may know the last four digits fo the victim's social security number, may make the caller ID information appear as if the IRS is calling, or send bogus IRS emails to support the scam.

If you get a call from someone claiming to be with the IRS asking for payment, do not engage with the caller.  If you think you might owe taxes, please hang up and call the IRS directly at (800) 829-1040.   If you know that you do not owe taxes, please report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at (800) 366-4484. 

Microsoft Tech Support Scam

A resident was contacted by a suspect claiming to be from Microsoft Tech Support. The suspect convinced the resident to pay thousands of dollars for the cleaning of viruses for their home computer. The Microsoft website states Microsoft and their partners do not make unsolicited phone calls to charge customers for computer security or software fixes.

Do not trust unsolicited calls. Do not provide any personal information or purchase software or services. Never give control of your computer to a third party unless you can confirm that it is a legitimate representative of a computer support team with whom you are already a customer.

Grandchild Scam

Residents have received calls from someone claiming to be their grandchild. The caller says they are in jail in a foreign country, they need money for bail and then they give instructions to send money via Western Union.

Verify the whereabouts of family members before wiring any money.

Government Grant Scam

Residents have received calls from someone claiming they are from the federal or government “grant association” and the person answering the phone has received a grant. The caller eventually states there is a fee that will need to be paid before they can receive the money.

Grants aren’t awarded without you applying for them and the government does not charge you a fee to process a grant. Never give out your personal information or your bank account information when you did not initiate the call. To report a telemarketing scam, you can File a Complaint with the Federal Trade Commission.

*****

Please be wary of unsolicited calls and emails, and never provide your personal information to an unsolicited caller.  If you recieve a suspicious email, do not click on the links in the email and do not open the attachments.  If you have been a victim of a scam or fraud, please call the Manhattan Beach Police Department at (310) 802-5140.

Be vigilant ans stay safe.