Suffolk Police Warn of Ongoing Telephone Scam

Suffolk police are warning that scammers pretending to be with the IRS may call you looking for payment for alleged unpaid taxes. 

Someone may call claiming that they are with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and that you owe back taxes. The caller will threaten you with arrest if you don’t purchase prepaid Green Dot cards to pay off the taxes.

According to police, in a recent incident, a man called from what looked to be an IRS telephone number to give the appearance that the call was legitimate. He went on to demand that the victim purchase Green Dot cards worth several thousand dollars and relay the card numbers over the phone.  In this incident, the victim complied, but failed to deliver the entire amount requested. The next day, a female called from a number that appeared to be 911 on the caller ID, alleged to be an employee of the Suffolk County Police Department, and told the victim that if she did not send the remainder of the money, she would be arrested.

According to investigators, victims are selected at random and the caller is usually able to trick the target into believing that the scenario is real.

Suffolk police advise residents to independently verify the information the caller is giving and not to give out any personal information during the call. 

Anyone who believes he/she has been a victim of this scam is being advised to call the Suffolk County Police Department for further investigation.