Full Notification

CITY OF MOORPARK
POLICE DEPARTMENT
NEWS STORY

www.VCSD.org

Nature of Incident: IRS Phone Scam involving Law Enforcement
Location: City of Moorpark
Date & Time: September 16, 2015 @ 3:00PM
Unit(s) Responsible: Moorpark Beat Coordinator Unit
Narrative:
Email is not the only way criminals try to attack and steal your identity.
Moorpark is experiencing an IRS phone scam involving people claiming to be Moorpark Police staff. They even adjust their caller-ID information to make it appear that they are legitimately calling from the Moorpark Police Department (805-532-2700). The scammers say that, you have an arrest warrant for unpaid tax bills owed to the treasury department. They state that you must repay this debt by using their specific instructions or they will be at your house in 20 minutes.

Beating this scam involves knowing what the IRS will and will not do. The IRS does not use telephone calls unless you have first received a bill for unpaid taxes, and the Agency will never force you to use specific payment methods -- especially those that happen to be untraceable. This would include the purchase of “Green Dot” money cards and making payments through the cards, or send money via Western Union. Moreover, threatening tactics like bringing in law enforcement are not part of the IRS' arsenal of debt-collection capabilities.

In May of 2014, the Moorpark Police Department created a Phone Scam Hotline. This hotline was developed to provide Moorpark citizens with the latest information on various scams affecting residents of Moorpark. The hotline provides information in Spanish or English, and if residents wish to speak to an investigator, they can leave a message and their call will be returned promptly. The information on the hotline will be updated as changes occur in the types of scams occurring in Moorpark.

The Moorpark Police Department’s Phone Scam Hotline can be reached by dialing 805-299-1566 and pressing 1 for Spanish or staying on the line for English.

As a reminder, residents should call 911 for any emergencies, and for non-emergencies call 805-654-9511.

To reach the Moorpark Police Department general number at 610 Spring Road, Moorpark CA. please call 805-532-2700.

Prepared by: Sr. Dep. Beat Coordinator Robert Berger
Media Release Date: September 16, 2015
Media Follow-Up Contact: Sr. Dep. Robert Berger 805-620-8771
Approved by: Stephen Wade, Captain

Ventura County Crime Stoppers will pay up to $1,000 reward for information, which leads to the arrest and criminal complaint against the person(s) responsible for this crime. The caller may remain anonymous. The call is not recorded. Call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).
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