Scam calls continue nationwide
Published 7:00 am Saturday, August 13, 2016
Each year, many Americans still fall victim to various scams that come in a variety of ways, such as phone calls and email.
“People sit around thinking about scams 24/7,” Picayune Police Department Assistant Chief Jeremy Magri said.
The most important thing people can do if they are suspicious of a scam is to contact local law enforcement, Magri said.
Those that fall victim to these crimes are often limited on what can be done to remedy the situation. Often times, the scams are conducted by people in another country so local law enforcement agencies are limited on what they can do, Magri said.
That’s why it’s very important that if people have suspicions, they should report them ahead of time, he said.
“If it seems too good to be true, then it’s probably too good to be true,” Magri said.
Recently, there have been complaints about possible scammers claiming to represent the Internal Revenue Service.
These calls often demand money and claim a warrant will be issued for a person’s arrest if they do not pay, states a release from the IRS.
According to the release, the IRS will never call someone demanding immediate payment, prevent the person from asking questions or requesting an appeal, require payment through only one method, ask for credit or debit card information over the phone, threaten to involve the police, or threaten people with a lawsuit.
A report from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration office states that some scammers are demanding payments through iTunes and other gift cards. Any suspicious calls should be reported.
An IRS impersonation scam report can be filled at https://www.treasury.gov/tigta/contact_report_scam.shtml