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Supervisor Bosworth Urges Residents to Be on the Alert for Phony IRS Phone Scams


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
February 5, 2016
MEDIA CONTACTS: Carole Trottere, Rebecca Cheng, Sam Marksheid, and Vicki DiStefano | (516) 869-7794

Supervisor Bosworth Urges Residents to Be on the Alert for Phony IRS Phone Scams

North Hempstead, NY –  Supervisor Judi Bosworth and the Town Board urge residents to be aware of unscrupulous scammers who pose as IRS officials to try to steal residents’ money or identities.

Town officials and the IRS advise residents to be vigilant against fraudulent IRS phone scams, especially during tax season. Phone scams have become more sophisticated and use new tactics such as altering the caller ID to make the call appear as if it is actually coming from the IRS and the scammer verifying their involvement with the IRS by providing the recipient with a fake badge number that may lead the recipient to believe that it is an actual call from the IRS. It is common that the scammers have personal information about the victim making the call seem even more legitimate.

The Town urges residents to be vigilant and keep an eye out for these warning signs that a call may be a scam:
• The caller demands payment over the phone
• The caller ask for your credit card number over the phone
• The caller requires you to use a specific payment method for your taxes, such as a prepaid debit card.
• The caller threatens you and threatens to bring in the police or other local law enforcement if you do not pay them.

Also, the IRS reports that it usually first contacts people by mail – not by phone – about unpaid taxes.

If you receive a call and are not sure if you owe money or whether the call is legitimate, hang up and call the IRS at 1-800-829-1040. The IRS also warns people to be on the lookout for fraudulent emails claiming to be from the IRS. If you believe you have been scammed, report the incident to The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) at 1-800-366-4484.

The Town reminds residents to not provide personal information if there are any doubts as to the legitimacy of the phone call. If you have additional questions, please call 311 or (516) 869-6311.

    
                                                                                                   
         


  

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