Goldsboro Police say scam calls on the rise
By John Joyce
Published in News on March 24, 2015 1:46 PM
A person claiming to be with the Internal Revenue Service contacted a local citizen's cell phone recently and threatened to have him jailed over money owed to the government.
The Goldsboro Police Department said these kinds of calls are increasing.
Douglas Parrish, 59, told Goldsboro police he received the call on his cell phone at about 10 a.m.
The fake IRS agent gave Parrish two options -- go to the bank or go to jail.
Parrish went to the police instead.
In a separate incident, a 78-year-old Goldsboro man paid $1,522 up front for home repairs that were never completed.
According to the report, William Carroway, of Robinson Place, was quoted $3,244 for home repairs and was asked to pay for the material up front. Carroway wrote the check and has not seen the repair man since.
Scams like these increase during tax season, law enforcement officials said. Especially the IRS scams.
Recently a scam like the one Parrish fell victim to has been on the rise. A person calling from the number 415-475-0029 calls unsuspecting citizens and claims to be an IRS agent. The fake agent tells the person he or she owes back-taxes or a fine and that they must pay immediately to avoid jail time.
The subject then instructs the victim to load money on a pre-paid debit card -- a PayPal Money-Pak card, a VISA or MasterCard Debit card or others -- and call back with a PIN number. The fake agent then uses the PIN number to retrieve the money.
The IRS advises that these scammers can sound convincing, and even provide false identification such as badge numbers. They might also know a lot about their targets, including personal information and financial records.
Below is a list of warning signs that a caller pretending to be an IRS agent is potentially a fraud. The IRS will never ask for:
*Immediate Payment. The IRS will never call asking about taxes owed or fines levied without first having mailed a bill.
*Appeal. The IRS will never demand payment without first providing a citizen the opportunity to appeal their case.
* Require a particular method of payment. The IRS does not require payment via pre-paid debit cards.
* Credit Cards. The IRS does not ask for credit card numbers over the phone.
*Threaten to involve the police. The IRS handles its own cases and does not involve local law enforcement agencies to arrest citizens for non payment.
-- More information regarding the IRS and protection from scams is available online at www.irs.gov.