Fairfield County Sheriff's office warning of two scams

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Sheriff's office warning of two scams targeting residents
Staff Report Published 7:38 a.m. ET Feb. 21, 2019

LANCASTER - Two phone scams targeting Fairfield County residents have prompted a warning from the sheriff's office.

The first scam, according to the sheriff's office, is from a caller claiming to be from the Fairfield County Sheriff's Office or the IRS who tell the person they owe taxes and must pay using a wire transfer or a pre-paid debit card. The intended victim is threatened with arrest, loss of a business or their driver's license.

To make the call sound more legitimate, the caller will often use common names or a fake deputies name or badge numbers. They may know the last four digits of the person's social security number or the called ID appears as if the IRS is calling. A second call that appears to be from the authorities or the Bureau of Motor Vehicles may also occur.

In a Facebook posting, the sheriff's office points out that the IRS usually contacts people first by mail and not by phone. In addition, the IRS doesn't ask for wire transfers or pre-paid debit cards for payment.

The sheriff's office will also not call you about unpaid taxes or mail you. The only thing they deliver would be a notice from the court.

If you get one of these calls, the sheriff's office advises that you hang up and call the IRS at 800-829-1040 if you owe taxes and have questions. If you don't owe taxes, call and report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 800-366-4484.

A complaint can also be filed with the Federal Trade Commission at FTC.gov. Add "IRS Telephone Scam" to the comments in your complaint.

The second scam the sheriff's office has received reports on are where someone impersonates a Social Security Administration employee. The caller generally asks you for personal information such as your Social Security number, date of birth, your mother's maiden name, or your bank or financial account information.

The caller may refer to enrollment in a Medicare program or claim the SSA computers are down and attempt get your personal information. The sheriff's office states that you should never provide such information.

If you are not sure a call is legitimate, call the SSA at 1-800-772-1213, to verify.

If you wish to report a call locally from someone you suspect is impersonating an SSA employee, provide the following information to the sheriff's office - caller's alleged name, caller's telephone number, time and date the call was made and the information requested by the caller.