Leader Staff
A telephone scam in which a recorded message warns that the recipient is being sued by the Internal Revenue Service and needs to quickly call a special number to reach the IRS appears to be hitting the area, according to the Shawano Police Department.
Police Chief Mark Kohl said the department has been getting several complaints a week from Shawano residents concerned about the calls.
Defending yourself against this scam is much like defending yourself against the others, he said.
“Don’t give out personal information over the phone and do not send money to unfamiliar people,” Kohl said.
The IRS said it never calls to demand immediate payment, nor does it call about taxes owed without first having mailed out a bill. The IRS never asks for credit or debit card numbers over the phone, and doesn’t require payment via prepaid debit cards.
The IRS doesn’t demand payment for taxes without giving a person the opportunity to question or appeal the amount it contends is owed.
Scammers have been using a variety of ploys in recent years. In many cases, there is little chance of getting the money back.
Shawano County authorities recently were able to recover $20,000 for a Shawano County resident, according to Sheriff Adam Bieber in a Facebook posting.
“The Sheriff’s Office investigates several cases of this type and through good police work and a little luck we had a positive outcome in this case,” Bieber said. “A common theme in these fraud cases is a request for someone to send money with the promise that the victim will receive even more money in return … in most cases the money is sent to oversea countries.”