Provided by the Bucks County Department of Consumer Protection:
Q. I received a telephone call from a man, whose accent made it hard to understand him, claiming to be from the United States Treasury Office. He began the conversation by informing me that there was a “deficiency” where my taxes are concerned. I told him that there must be a mistake, at which point he became belligerent. He threatened me with arrest and other dire consequences unless I make immediate payment. I was quite shaken by the way he talked to me so I hung up on him. I keep very good records and know that I do not owe any money to the government and believe that this caller was a scamming criminal. Is there anything that can be done so they won’t call again? – N.N., Doylestown
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A. Unfortunately, this is a widespread scam. These criminals have been contacting U.S. Citizens by electronic mail as well as by telephone falsely claiming to be Treasury Officials. The email version often includes fraudulent “official government documents”. Some are created well enough to pass an initial review, but all are fake.
These same criminals are often involved with identity theft so any email that is received should not be opened but immediately deleted.
When the contact is made via telephone, hang up as soon as you recognize the scam attempt. Do not try to “play along”; do not attempt to elicit information from him that you believe could be used against him; do not make any threats against the caller suggesting that you will report him to the authorities. Simply terminate contact immediately.
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It is important to remember the potential danger of sharing personal information, even if that was not the intent. Just by answering the telephone you have confirmed your number with the criminal. The area code of your telephone number also gives him the general location of who he is calling.
Answering this type of call and by simply saying “Hello” tells the caller your gender, approximate age and the day/time you are home.
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It is not necessary to report this type of telephone fraud attempt to the Treasury Office as they do not investigate or respond to individual reports of this nature.
If the calls persist, contact your telephone service provider to have the sender “blocked”. However, email fraud attempt complaints can be filed with the Internet Crime Control Center at www.ic3.gov
If you have already shared banking information to these criminals, contact your financial institution for assistance in protecting yourself against identity theft.
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For additional information and brochures on various consumer related matters visit the Bucks County Consumer Protection/Weights and Measures Department athttp://www.buckscounty.org/government/CommunityServices/ConsumerProtection/ConsumerTips
