There’s a new wave of fraudulent telephone callers dialing up Manatee County residents.
The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office issued a warning Nov. 20 about a recent uptick in the IRS phone scam reports.
“We have had several people to call to report them — but not anyone who’s actually been scammed,” said Dave Bristow, MCSO public information director.
“But it’s all about getting the word out, so people don’t get taken,” he added.
According to an MCSO news release, the scam typically involves a person claiming to be an IRS agent, advising victims that money is owed, and saying the individual will be arrested if he or she doesn’t pay
Helen Moroz of Holmes Beach spoke to The Islander about her call from an unknown scammer.
“He said, ‘This is the IRS,’ and asked for my phone number,” she said, adding she refused to give it.
“He also said, ‘I have a message from the IRS for you,’ and ‘I’ve talked to your daughter before,’” she said.
Moroz added that he had “a heavy Spanish accent,” and he hung up without asking her to pay anything.
“I guess he decided I was not an easy mark,” she added.
On the Internal Revenue Service website, a Nov. 12 news release acknowledged the scam.
“An aggressive and sophisticated phone scam targeting taxpayers, including recent immigrants, has been making the rounds throughout the country.
“Callers claim to be the employees of the IRS, but are not. These con artists can sound convincing when they call,” the release stated.
According to the IRS, the suspects may give victims fake IRS names and badge numbers and advise their subjects to pay on a pre-paid debit card or send money by wire.
If the phone isn’t answered, the IRS advises that a message may be left indicating a call back is urgent.
The scammers also use a fake caller ID to make it appear they are calling from a legitimate IRS number.
Bradenton Beach Police Department Detective Sgt. Lenard Diaz said he’s had three calls asking about the phone scam.
“Luckily, they were smart enough not to be scammed. The (scam) phone calls can come in from anywhere, Canada, Texas, Washington,” he added.
Holmes Beach Police Department Chief William Tokajer said he received no calls about the recent phone scam, but did receive a couple calls about email and letter IRS scams.
The IRS advises the public on its website: “The IRS will never 1) call to demand immediate payment, nor will the agency call about taxes without first having mailed you a bill; 2) demand you pay taxes without giving you an opportunity to question or appeal … 3) require you to use a specific payment method … 4) ask for credit or debit numbers over the phone; 5) threaten to bring in local police … to have you arrested for not paying.”