IRS and Department of Justice phone scams circulating in area

There are currently some scams currently spreading through the area from phone calls from IRS and Department of Justice impostors.

The Office of Justice Programs’ Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) has received multiple reports that individuals claiming to represent the Department of Justice are calling members of the public as part of an impostor scam. The department strongly encourages the public to remain vigilant and not to provide personal information during these calls, which appear to target the elderly.

Reports to the National Elder Fraud Hotline indicate these scammers falsely represent themselves as Department of Justice investigators or employees and attempt to obtain personal information from the call recipient, or they leave a voicemail with a return phone number. The return phone number directs users to a recorded menu that matches the recorded menu for the department’s main phone number. Eventually, the user reaches an “operator” who steers the user to someone claiming to be an investigator. That “investigator” then attempts to gain the user’s personal information.

There is also a renewed financial scam involving a notice threatening to levy social security benefits due to a “tax liability.” The notice is issued by unknown persons posing as representatives of Washoe County and the State of Nevada and demands an immediate response to avoid additional penalties (though the impostors can insert any government or region).

The notice claims to come from the “Washoe County Benefits Suspension Unit.” No such agency exists within Washoe County. Washoe County Treasurer Tammi Davis encourages any resident with questions about Washoe County taxes to contact her office before making payment or providing anyone with personal or financial information. Citizens can also check their property tax status online anytime at www.washoecounty.us /treas.

“This is just the latest scam to use the threat of impending enforcement action to pressure the potential victim for an immediate response,” Washoe County Sheriff Darin Balaam said. “Scammers aggressively portray themselves as anyone from sheriff’s deputies to court officials in an effort to intimidate their victims The best advice I can give these days is to assume any unsolicited request for money or financial information, coming from a source that you are not one-hundred percent confident is legitimate, should be treated as a scam.”

“Phone scams are an ugly and pervasive act of victimization. The scams being reported to our National Elder Fraud Hotline are especially heinous because they show the perpetrators are preying upon one of the most vulnerable segments of our society – the elderly,” said OVC Director Jessica Hart. “As if this were not despicable enough, the scammers do so posing as employees of the Justice Department, usurping public trust in the agency that serves as a bastion of fairness and lawfulness while these scams exploit the elderly for financial gain. The first step to identifying these criminals is to have their crimes reported.”

Those who receive these calls are encouraged not to provide personal information.

Report the DOJ scams to the FTC via their website or by calling 877–FTC–HELP (877-382-4357). Fraud can also be reported to the FBI for law enforcement action at https://www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/report-fraud.

The National Elder Fraud Hotline is a resource created by OVC for people to report fraud against anyone age 60 or older. Reporting certain financial losses due to fraud as soon as possible, and within the first 2–3 days, can increase the likelihood of recovering losses. The hotline is open seven days a week. For more information about the hotline, please visit https://stopelderfraud.ovc.ojp.gov/.

Sheriff Balaam advises that if you receive a request or demand for finances, you should not call the telephone provided in a letter. Instead, independently verify the request by conducting an online search for the person and/or department making such a request. Otherwise, you have the potential to lose tens of thousands of dollars in an era when it is very difficult for law enforcement to track the scammers and recover your loss.

“Be smart. Take steps to protect your personal identity and finances and talk with your friends and family to be sure that they are aware of potential scams as well. Public awareness is one of the most important keys to preventing this type of scam,” said Balaam.

According to the IRS, there are five things that scammers often do, but the IRS will never do.

The IRS will NEVER:

- to demand immediate payment, nor will the agency call about taxes owed without first having mailed you a bill
- Demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe
- Require you to use a specific payment method for your taxes, such as a prepaid debit card
- Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone
- Threaten to bring in local police or other law enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying
- Financial scammers are able to alter caller identification numbers to make it look like the call is coming from an official agency such as the IRS or the Sheriff’s Office and will identify themselves by using fake names and bogus badge numbers.

“The caller may use your name, address, and other identifying information to sound convincing but keep in mind that information is often easily obtainable through resources available to the public,” Sheriff Balaam said.

Anyone who has suffered a loss as a result of a scam is encouraged to contact their local law enforcement agency. For more information about tax scams and how to report them, visit www.irs.gov.