Lafayette County Sheriff’s Department Warns of IRS Phone Scam

By Alyssa Schnugg
News Editor
alyssa.schnugg@hottytoddy.com

The Lafayette County Sheriff’s Department is warning people that if the IRS calls you and says there is a deputy on their way to your door, hang up. No one is coming.

Chief Investigator Alan Wilburn said the sheriff’s department has received complaints about the calls recently; however, no one seems to have fallen for the scam.

“We are hoping to the word out before anyone does,” he said.

The callers may demand money, threatening you with prison. In some cases, the scammers claim there is a refund available and that they need banking information to deposit the funds. Either way, the IRS does not IRS does not use unsolicited email, text messages or any social media to discuss your personal tax issue. Most IRS business is done through the U.S. Post Office.

According to the IRS, these con artists can sound convincing when they call. They may seem to know a good bit about the people they are calling, and they usually alter the caller ID to make it look like the IRS is calling. They use fake names and bogus IRS identification badge numbers. If you don’t answer, they often leave an “urgent” callback request.

Here are five things the scammers often do but the IRS will not do. Anyone of these five things is a tell-tale sign of a scam. The IRS will never:

1. Call to demand immediate payment, nor will we call about taxes owed without first having mailed you a bill.
    
2. Demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe.
    
3. Require you to use a specific payment method for your taxes, such as a prepaid debit card.
    
4. Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.
    
5. Threaten to bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.

Wilburn said anyone who thinks they have fallen victim to the IRS scam, or any scam, contact the Oxford Police Department if you live inside the city limits at 662-232-2400, or the Sheriff’s Department if you live in Lafayette County at 662-234-6421.