Pottsville police warn of IRS scams

In October, the IRS released information about the scams, suggesting the appropriate action to take if consumers receive a call from anyone who identifies themselves as an IRS official or someone acting on its behalf.

According to the attorney general, the IRS will, first and foremost, NOT call by telephone.

The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office warns citizens to be wary of IRS tax scams they may encounter this year.

“We believe they’re using robo-calls, so they’re just programming numbers into the computer”.

“These scammers are brazen criminals who will stop at nothing to get your money or personal information”, Pacifica police Chief Dan Steidle said in a statement. “The scammers do it because it’s a successful scam and this one has been reported nationwide”.

“I knew it was a red flag when they were calling”, Williams said.

“This is a scam”, Garig said. “The other thing they can do is call the Federal Trade Commission, or if you think you might owe some money that maybe you forgot or you want to know if you filed your taxes, call the 1800 number”, Reiniger said.

In Pottsville, anyone who would like assistance handling these matters can call the police non-emergency number at 570-628-3792.

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS used the Better Business Bureau’s Scam Tracker to search for victims in the Twin Cities, and we found that a Savage man paid $4,100 to these scam artists.

The Treasury Inspector General’s Office said that the IRS will generally make contact with people by mail, and not by phone for unpaid taxes and they do not ask for a credit card number over the phone.

She then either directs you to wire money to an account or purchase a prepaid gift card to hand over.

Also, the IRS will not demand that an individual pay taxes without allowing the individual to question or appeal the amount.