The Villager Newspaper Online Your Community News – Cleveland's Westshore
Westlake Police report that as of 10:30 a.m. today approximately 20 residents have notified Police that they have received phony IRS calls demanding that money be wired to the caller to avoid lawsuits or arrests for back taxes.
The calls are coming from 216.842.6125 report Police, It is apparently a spoofed number; when called back, it is out of service.
Nobody has sent any money to the fraudulent caller, say Police.
Best way to deal with the caller is to hang up.
The Treasury Tax Inspector General can be contacted at 800.366.4484 or www.tigta.gov regarding calls of this type.
Westlake Police are aware that a similar wave of phony calls has hit other Cleveland area communities recently.
Update: Letter from Mayor Sutherland
Dear Fellow Residents:
Caution! IRS and Treasury Department Frauds
On Thursday, October 8, 2015 the Bay Village Police Department received over 100 calls from Bay Village residents reporting calls from scammers posing at IRS or Treasury Department officials.
The Bay Village PD would like to remind taxpayers to beware of phone calls from individuals claiming to represent the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) or U.S. Treasury Department in an effort to defraud them. The BVPD has seen a huge rise in residents reporting scammers making unsolicited calls and fraudulently claiming to be IRS officials or U.S. Treasury officials. The scammers demand that they send them money or payments for back-taxes or current owed taxes via prepaid debit cards, wire transfers or checks.
The IRS or U.S. Treasury Department will not contact people by phone when inquiring about legitimate unpaid taxes. Also, the IRS or U.S. Treasury Department won’t ask for payment using a pre-paid debit card or wire transfer. They will also not ask for a credit card number over the phone.
The callers who commit this fraud often:
Utilize an automated robocall machine.
Use common names and fake IRS badge numbers.
May know the last four digits of the victim’s Social Security Number.
Make caller ID information appear as if the IRS is calling.
Send bogus IRS e-mails to support their scam.
Call a second or third time claiming to be the police or department of motor vehicles, and the caller ID again supports their claim.
If you get a call from someone claiming to be with the IRS asking for a payment, here’s what to do:
If you owe Federal taxes, or think you might owe taxes, hang up and call the IRS at 800-829-1040. IRS workers can help you with your payment questions.
If you don’t owe taxes, fill out the “IRS Impersonation scam” form on TIGTA’s website, www.treasury.gov/tigta or call TIGTA at 800-366-4484.
You can also file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at www.FTC.gov. Add “IRS Telephone Scam” to the comments in your complaint.
Sincerely,
Mayor Debbie Sutherland
