Full Notification

The Mercersburg Police Department is forwarding the below article that appeared in the Bucks Local News in an effort to again warn local residents of this scam.

IRS phone scammers have been contacting residents in the Mercersburg area. If you are contacted by these phone scammers follow the directions in the article by contacting the Bureau of Consumer Protection at (800) 441-2555.

Bucks Local News

Pennsylvania State Police warn public of 'IRS Phone Scams'

The Pennsylvania State Police on Thursday continued to warn residents about persistent phone scammers who attempt to victimize residents by claiming to be Internal Revenue Service tax collectors.

The scam, which has been reported to local and state law enforcement agencies at an alarming rate in recent months, attempts to trick people into thinking they will face arrest if they do not immediately settle outstanding tax debts over the phone by using prepaid debit cards. Police warned that the IRS does not conduct business that way and urged residents not to give away personal information over the phone.

State officials have warned that this type of scam typically picks up during tax season, and state police said the numbers of reports have increased in recent days.

“Over the past week, the Pennsylvania State Police has been receiving an abundance of phone calls in regards to an IRS scam,” state police said in a written statement. “These phone calls are being made by unknown men and women. They are claiming that they are the IRS and demand money or else ‘a warrant will be issued for their arrest.’”

Police officials said the phone calls are fraudulent and said that some victims reported voicemails were left with requests for the victim to contact the callers. Law enforcement officials urged the public not to contact the callers and to never give payments over the phone to an unknown person.

Numerous local police departments have issued warnings about similar scams in recent months, and state law enforcement officials have also been active in warning the public about the fraudulent calls. In February, Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane issued a warning about the most common types of scams and warned that tax season would bring even more attempts.

“Scams like this always pick up around tax season,” Kane said. “Consumers can avoid falling victim to scammers by remembering never to share personal or financial information over the telephone to any unsolicited callers. The IRS sends written notification by mail of any tax due and will not request credit or debit card information over the phone.”

Kane warned that the callers may appear convincing if the potential victim does not use caution. Victims have reported that the callers made references to their personal information that is not publicly available, but police warned the information was likely obtained by the scammers illegally. The information could include the last four digits of the victim’s social security number, information about family members, and mimicking official agencies by manipulating caller ID. Authorities said victims also reported receiving forged emails that appear to have come from the IRS.

“Con artists and scammers rob Pennsylvanians of thousands of dollars every day,” Kane said, urging potential victims to report the crimes to the proper authorities. “Consumers should be on alert and report any suspected fraudulent activity to our Bureau of Consumer Protection.”

For more information or to report any scam, Attorney General Kane encourages Commonwealth residents to contact her Bureau of Consumer Protection at (800) 441-2555.