NINEVEH, Ind. — A Nineveh woman was bilked out of thousands of dollars in an IRS scam Monday.
Johnson County Sheriff Doug Cox says the woman was called while she was at work by someone who identified themselves as an IRS agent and said after an audit of her taxes from 2009 to 2014, she owed $11,780. The caller said if the woman could provide an Itunes gift card for $1,500 the warrant could be lifted. She was told Itunes had to be used because credit or debit card payments could not be processed over the phone.
Once she provided the $1,500, the scammers told her she had to provide another $5,000 Itunes gift card. The scammers instructed her to go to the Target store in Columbus, put her cell phone on speaker, leave it in her purse and not speak to anyone. The transaction was completed and the card information was given to the scammer.
During that call, the scammers told her there would be an agent named Allen Jones coming to her home in the near future to review final paperwork. She was told she could return to work until that time. While on her way back to work, the scammers called again and told her she would have to pay another $4,000 as a deposit on her 2017 taxes. The woman went to an Edinburgh retailer, purchased another card and gave the information to the scammers.
At this point, the scammer told her there was now a “Red Alert” on her account and she must provide another $4,000 to clear it. Scammers said if she did not clear the “Red Alert” it would hurt her credit rating and could prevent her from accessing credit for the next seven years. The woman went back into the store, purchased another $4,000 Itunes gift card and gave the information to the scammers. Then, the scammers told her she would have to pay another $3,500. At that point, the woman suspected she was the target of a scam. When she told the caller here suspicion, they became abusive and began to threaten her with arrest and further legal action.
The woman returned home and called police around 7 p.m. Police said her loss could total $14,500. It has not been determined if all of the cards activated properly. Detectives have the names used, the phone records, and are conducting an investigation.
Johnson County Sheriff Doug Cox reminds residents to never transfer money to someone you don’t know. Always check with a trusted friend or family member before any money changes hands, and when faced with a situation like this hang up on the caller and don’t volunteer any information.
The IRS says scams can be identified by understanding what the IRS will and will not do. The IRS will never:
- Call to demand immediate payment, nor will they call about taxes owed without first having mailed you a bill.
- Demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe.
- Require you to use a specific payment method for your taxes, such as a prepaid debit card.
- Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.
- Threaten to bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.
If you get a phone call from someone claiming to be from the IRS and asking for money, here’s what you should do:
- If you know you owe taxes or think you might owe, call the IRS at 1.800.829.1040. The IRS workers can help you with a payment issue.
- If you know you don’t owe taxes or have no reason to believe that you do, report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 1-800-366-4484 or at tigta.gov.
Also, the IRS does not use unsolicited email, text messages, or any social media to discuss your personal tax issue.