A Spring Arbor woman was scammed out of $11,200 on Thursday after she received a call from a scammer pretending to be an IRS agent.
The caller convinced the 48-year-old woman that she owed back taxes and that a warrant had been issued for her arrest.
The woman was persuaded to go to Citizens Bank on County Road 466 and withdraw $8,700, according to an incident report from the Lady Lake Police Department. She then deposited the money in an account at Bank of America under a name given to her by the caller.
She then drove to the UPS store on Burnsed Boulevard in Pinellas Plaza and emailed the bank deposit slip and a copy of her driver’s license to an email address the caller provided.
She was then told she owed an additional $2,500 and she was instructed to drive to Advance America in Wildwood and transfer $2,500 to a man in New York.
The Wildwood Police Department received information about the transaction at Advance America, which was completely out of character for the woman, and notified the Lady Lake Police Department, asking them to make a well being check on the woman.
An officer arrived at her home and found the woman visibly upset. He informed her she had been scammed.
Slam the door on scammers
“Recently several scams have re-appeared in our area. The most prevalent has been the IRS scam,” said Lady Lake Police Chief Chris McKinstry.
Scammers posing as IRS agents first targeted those they viewed as most vulnerable, such as senior citizens, newly arrived immigrants and those whose first language is not English. These criminals have expanded their net and are now targeting virtually anyone, McKinstry said.
“In a new variation, scammers alter what appears on your telephone caller ID to make it seem like they are with the IRS or another government agency. They use fake names, titles and badge numbers. They use online resources to get your name, address and other details about your life to make the call sound official. They even go as far as copying official IRS letterhead for use in email or regular mail,” he said.
Brazen scammers will even provide their victims with directions to the nearest bank or business where the victim can obtain a means of payment such as a debit card. And in another new variation of these scams, scammers may then provide an actual IRS address where the victim can mail a receipt for the payment — all in an attempt to make the scheme look official.
“The most common theme with these tricks seems to be fear. Scammers try to scare people into reacting immediately without taking a moment to think through what is actually happening,” McKinstry said.
These scam artists often angrily threaten police arrest, deportation, license revocation or other similarly unpleasant things. They may also leave “urgent” callback requests, sometimes through “robo-calls,” via phone or email. The emails will often contain a fake IRS document with a telephone number or email address for your reply.
The IRS will never:
• Angrily demand immediate payment over the phone, nor will the agency call about taxes owed without first having mailed you a bill.
• Threaten to bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.
• 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.
Another local scam has been the jury duty scam. Jury duty is a vital civic responsibility and should be taken seriously by all citizens.
“In our area, residents are being targeted by phone calls and emails, threatening them with prosecution for failing to comply with jury service in federal or state courts,” the chief said.
In the calls and emails, recipients are pressured to provide confidential data, potentially leading to identity theft and fraud. These calls and emails, which threaten recipients with fines and jail time if they do not comply, are fraudulent and are not connected with the court system.
Courts do not require anyone to provide any sensitive information in a telephone call or email. Most contact between a court and a prospective juror will be through the U.S. mail, and any phone contact by real court officials will not include requests for Social Security numbers, credit card numbers, or any other sensitive information.
Persons receiving such a telephone call or email should not provide the requested information, and should notify law enforcement and the clerk of the court.