Attempted phone scam in Manassas involving Internal Revenue Service

Manassas City Police Department
Crime Report July 15, 2016

Attempted Phone Scam
On July 13, 2016, Manassas City Police met with a resident on the 8600 block of Mahogany Ct for a report of a suspicious phone call.

The reporting party told officers that she had received a phone call from an unknown male who claimed to represent the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

The caller told the citizen, a 36-year-old female, that she owed a large amount of money to the IRS. The caller offered the citizen an opportunity to settle her alleged debt for an undisclosed amount of money and said if she did not within the next few days, she would be arrested.

The citizen recognized the call as a scam and contacted Police.
 
Crime Prevention Tip from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC):
Despite public perception, scam artists don’t discriminate based on age. Children, adolescents, adults, and seniors are ALL at risk for becoming a victim of fraud or identity theft.

Spring is tax season, which is the perfect time for scam artists to target residents.

Don’t believe callers, emails or texts that say they are from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), even if they threaten to have you arrested for noncompliance.

Tax identity thieves may send phony “phishing” emails that appear to be from the IRS and ask you to click on a link. They may also directly ask you to provide or confirm your personal information online or over the phone.  Don’t do it, advises Adrienne Helms, crime prevention officer for the Manassas City Police Department.

The IRS does not email, call, or text people to get personal information. 

If the IRS needs to contact you, they will do so by mail.

Another red flag is if the caller asks for payment in the form of prepaid cards or wire transfer.

If you have any doubt whether a message is legitimate, call the IRS directly or consult Police or a trusted family member. For more information on IRS scams, go to https://www.irs.gov/uac/newsroom/irs-warns-of-pervasive-telephone-scam