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Attempted phone scams continue to plague Boardman township residents
BOARDMAN
A rash of attempted phone scams that for months has plagued township residents and businesses continues, officials say.
Boardman Capt. Don Hawkins said the police department investigates about 12 to 15 attempted scams each month, a rate that represents an increase from the past, he said.
“What’s been recent is this tax thing; it’s been in the last year,” he said of a scam in which the caller will claim to be an Internal Revenue Service agent.
“They pose as an IRS agent, tell them if they don’t fork over “X” amount of money through these Green Dot [prepaid debit] cards, then the sheriff is coming to arrest them in an hour,” he said.
At least nine police reports related to attempted telephone or computer scams have been filed with the Boardman Police Department so far this month, three of which involved the caller telling the victim that there was a problem with their taxes.
One victim gave the scammer her Social Security number after receiving a message stating she had unpaid taxes, and being prompted to call a number and enter her Social Security number, according to a police report filed Nov. 19.
Another victim received a death threat from a caller. The caller claimed to work for the IRS and threatened her with arrest before she told them not to call again, according to a police report filed Nov. 21.
The IRS has issued warnings about the increased numbers of tax scams in communities around the country.
“We have formal processes in place for people with tax issues,” IRS Commissioner John Koskinen said in a statement in October. “The IRS respects taxpayer rights, and these angry, shake-down calls are clear warning signs of fraud. This is not how we do business. We urge people to be careful when they get these threatening calls.”
The IRS says there are several warning signs to look out for from a caller, such as: demanding immediate payment; demanding that you pay taxes without a chance to appeal the amount they say you owe; demanding a specific form of payment, such as a prepaid debit card; requesting credit or debit card numbers over the phone; and, threatening to bring in local law-enforcement to have you arrested.
Another common scam is when the caller claims to have a huge prize for the victim, saying that all is required to claim the prize is a small fee, Hawkins said.
One township resident lost nearly $500 in this kind of scam, according to a police report from Nov. 19.
The victim received a phone call from someone who said she won a sweepstakes with a prize of $9 million and a Mercedes-Benz. The caller instructed her to send a money order for $475 “for tax purposes.” The victim became suspicious after she sent the money and then was asked to send another payment.
“If it sounds too good to be true, it is,” Hawkins cautioned.
“Don’t give them anything, and then call authorities and have it checked out,” he said.
The Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office dealt with a number of similar complaints recently, but says the problem seems to have died down for now.
“They usually try to do it for a short period of time, get a little bit of money, then move on to another jurisdiction or state,” said Maj. Jeff Allen.