Keweenaw Report Your Source for Local News and Sports
The Michigan State Police wants people to be aware of a phone scam that continues to target local residents.
Scammers usually give the victim a sense of urgency, pretending to be an official of a legitimate organization to fool the victim into providing sensitive information. Some even threaten to have you arrested if you don’t pay now.
One re-occurring scam involves persons posing as members of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) claiming you owe unpaid taxes. The scammers often call a second time posing as a member of law enforcement and threatening you with arrest if you don’t send money. Since the IRS does not call to request payment over the phone, if you receive a call like this, you should hang up. More information at: http://www.irs.gov/uac/Newsroom/IRS-Warns-of-Phone-Scam
You can report an IRS scam by calling 800-366-4484 or online at https://www.irs.gov/uac/report-phishing
To avoid becoming a victim of a scam:
- Do not give personal information to unknown callers. Never give out Social Security number or banking account numbers.
- Do not respond to unsolicited email from unknown senders.
- Confirm the identity of a contact by speaking with the identified source, like your bank, credit card company, or government agency.
- Ask for a call-back name and number and use a reliable source to confirm the phone number or email.
- If it sounds too good to be true then it probably is
