Warning: IRS Phone Scam.
July 20, 2016
You may have recently received a rather alarming phone call from a number originating in the state of Washington stating that you are being sued by the IRS. It is a computer-generated, official sounding woman's voice stating that this is your “final notice”, and that you need to contact their office immediately. I received that very call today, and did some searching on the internet to confirm what I already suspected — it's definitely a scam to get you to call them back and probably cough up vital information about yourself.
The phone number that the call always originates from is (206) 238-0835. DO NOT call this number back! As always, common sense dictates in situations like these. Any legal correspondence of this gravity from either the government or any reputable law firm would normally arrive by personal summons or certified mail — not a phone call.
On that note, the San Mateo County Sheriff's Department recently released a warning about another phone scam that is taking place regarding jury duty (another fun subject). Here is the warning from the Sheriff's Department in its entirety:
Redwood City – The San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office is issuing a warning to the public to beware of phone calls from individuals claiming to represent themselves as a member of the Sheriff’s Office in an effort to defraud them.
A number of the public have received unsolicited phone calls from an individual who fraudulently claim to be a sworn member of the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office. They are told they must pay fees for failure to appear for jury duty. The imposter instructs them to pay the fees by purchasing a prepaid “green dot card” or be subjected to arrest.
The truth is, the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office or any law enforcement agency will never contact a member of the public demanding they pay any fees and/or any fines and be subjected to arrest if they fail to comply. The public is reminded to be vigilant and never provide personal information over the phone, like Social Security numbers and credit card information, unless they initiated the phone call.If you believe you were the victim of this scam or a similar scam, contact your local law enforcement agency.
Release Date: July 18, 2016
San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office
Public Information Office
As always, let's be careful out there!
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