Law enforcement warns about Attorney General, IRS phone scams
Bree Burkitt
bburkitt@thespectrum.com
Iron County law enforcement is urging residents to think twice when giving out any personal information over the phone due to a recent increase in fraudulent calls.
Cedar City Police Sgt. Jerry Womack said the department has received a high number of reports from residents in the last couple weeks about scam calls asking for bank account or credit card information to avoid arrest or other penalties.
"It seems like they just come in waves," Womack said. "We'll have a large amount of calls and then we won't have any for a while, but right now it's really bad."
Authorities have recently seen a surge in two different schemes where the caller claims to work for a government agency, including the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Attorney General's Office.
According to the Office of the Attorney General, scammers have been identifying themselves as agents of the IRS and threatening lawsuits or warrants for arrests unless the specified amount is paid with a prepaid debit card or via wire transfer.
Utah residents have lost approximately $431,000 to phony IRS calls between October 2013 and January 2016, according to a news release from the Treasury Inspector General of the Tax Administrator.
Police have also received multiple reports from residents about phony calls from the office of the Utah Attorney General. The caller, claiming to be a federal agent, tells the victim that this is the second notice and final attempt to avoid an initial appearance before a magistrate judge or a grand jury for a federal criminal offense, Iron County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Dave Mitchell said.
Other victims report that scammers claim people have committed crimes and need to make payments to avoid arrests, according to the Attorney General's Office.
They were then told to call a different phone number to speak to a federal agent in order to resolve the issue.
"We are advising the public if you have received a phone call similar to this one, do not send money or give your personal information," Mitchell said. "If the caller left a message, do not reply back."
Previously, scammers were commonly targeting senior citizens, but the two most recent ruses have effected all ages and genders, Womack said.
Regardless of how legitimate the call may seem, Womack said the best way to stay safe is to never give out any personal information over the phone.
"That's not how any of these people (government offices) do business," he said. "If you're not the one initiating the call, don't give out any information over the phone."
He added that the best way to avoid falling prey to the scam is to call the agency and verify whether the call is actually legitimate.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission also recommends resisting the pressure to make a decision immediately and to never send cash by overnight mail or money transfer.
Anyone who believes they have been victimized by phone scammers should contact the Utah Attorney General's Office at 1-800-244-4636 or the Iron County Sheriff's Office at 435-867-7500.
Follow reporter Bree Burkitt on Twitter, @BreeBurkitt. Call her at 435-218-2241.