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IRS Phone Scam Spreading Across the State

A nationwide scam has made its way to Virginia and state officials are sending out a warning. 

The latest phone scam to hit the state involves fake IRS agents asking for money, and threatening arrests if you “don’t pay up”. The criminals will claim that you have an outstanding IRS debt and will strongly request that you “settle up” using a credit card.

What makes the situation look and sound so legitimate for many who receive the call, is that the caller ID will likely say the call is coming from the IRS in Washington DC or from a local police department.

According to the Charlottesville Daily Progress, several Buckingham County residents have been targeted this week, and county sheriff’s officials say the callers are giving false IRS badge numbers, know the last four digits of the person’s social security numbers and even send fake emails to support the scam.

The IRS is warning the public via its IRS.gov web site that it does not initiate contact via email or any social media, and does not request any type of credit card, bank or financial information, AND that persons affected by the scam should contact the IRS or the Federal Trade Commission directly.

Other scams making the rounds involve calls to parents and grandparents saying their child or grandchild is in trouble and to send money. Scammers are using stolen cell phones and social media to access that contact information.

IRS.gov Warning