Full Notification

The Millstadt Police Department continues to get questions in regards to IRS scams. Typically this involves a person contacting an individual by phone, and posing as a IRS representative. The caller informs the person they owe money to the IRS and, if they do not pay over the phone immediately, an arrest warrant will be issued. If nobody answers when the call is made a robocall message is left, telling the person to contact them immediately.

Unfortunately last week the police department took a report in which someone was defrauded of money. The caller who represented themselves as an IRS agent was very hostile, and bullied the victim. After payment was sent in the form of I-Tunes gift cards, the caller kept the victim on the line attempting to get more money. The caller even attempted to forbid the victim from going to the bathroom, and kept the victim on the line for several hours. The victim drove to banks and attempted to get a loan, before realizing this was a fraud.

The police department would like our citizens to know there is no need to contact the police department if they receive one of these calls, unless they are actually defrauded of money.

Here is some useful information regarding these calls, from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration:

The callers who commit this fraud often:
• Utilize an automated robocall machine.
• Use common names and fake IRS badge numbers.
• May know the last four digits of the victim’s Social Security Number.
• Make caller ID information appear as if the IRS is calling.
• Aggressively demand immediate payment to avoid being criminally charged or arrested.
• Claim that hanging up the telephone will cause the immediate issuance of an arrest warrant for unpaid taxes.
• Send bogus IRS e-mails to support their scam.
• Call a second or third time claiming to be the police or department of motor vehicles, and the caller ID again supports their claim.

If you get a call from someone claiming to be with the IRS asking for a payment, here’s what to do:
• If you owe Federal taxes, or think you might owe taxes, hang up and call the IRS at 800-829-1040. IRS workers can help you with your payment questions.
• If you do not owe taxes, fill out the “IRS Impersonation scam” form on TIGTA’s website, www.tigta.gov, or call TIGTA at 800-366-4484.
• You can also file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at www.FTC.gov. Add “IRS Telephone Scam" to the comments in your complaint.