Several recent Internet scams mean that there is a need for increased awareness. The Kosciusko County Sheriff’s department and the Better Business Bureau of Indiana are teaming up to inform county residents about a series of scam calls that have been made by someone pretending to be the Internal Revenue Service.
One InkFreeNews reader stated she got a call from such a number, but the telephone number traced back to Saint Thomas in the Virgin Islands. The area code for the number she said the call came from was 721. According to the BBB: “consumers are receiving very menacing calls from individuals, who state that they are with the IRS.
“The reason stated for their call is that they’re collecting on taxes owed since 2002. Threats of arrest and jail time are made, if immediate payment isn’t given.” Individuals are reminded that this is not the manner in which the IRS operates. There are laws that have been created by the Federal Trade Commission that prohibit such malicious threats.
Be assured that these calls are not legitimate. The IRS would not operate in this manner and laws created by the Federal Trade Commission prohibit these kinds of threats. The IRS sends out notifications to those who owe money through the mail rather than over the phone. For concerns regarding these calls, the IRS can be reached at (800) 829-1049.
Facebook scams are also on the rise. The Elkhart Sheriff’s department sent out a release issuing the following warning: “The Elkhart County Sheriff’s Department has seen an increase in Facebook related scams. There have been two fairly recent incidents in which users reported receiving a Facebook messenger text from a linked friend telling them about having won a random Facebook drawing.
“Because the text comes from a known friend of the user telling them about the money they won, the user falls prey. The scams then solicit the user to Facebook ‘friend’ a particular person who oversees the unsolicited contest winnings. From that point specific instructions are provided detailing how the funds will become secured by the ‘winner’.”