SAN DIEGO (CBS 8) - The Vista Sheriff's Station and Valley Center Substation have been receiving calls and complaints from people who are getting calls or messages from scammers claiming to be from the IRS.
Authorities want to warn the public, it's a scam.
Authorities said the con-artists are aggressive and will scare residents with a lawsuit or threaten them with an arrest if they don't pay.
"These people make a living stealing money from others. They are very good at what they do," said Lt. Greg Rylaarsdam, one of at least a dozen members of the San Diego County Sheriff's Department who received the bogus robocall on Wednesday.
The con-artists know a lot about the person they are calling and even alter the caller ID to make it look like the IRS is calling. If they are asking for more money, it's a scam.
Hang up immediately.
"The IRS is never going to cold call you and tell you, you owe them money, ever. The numbers you see on your cell-phone may appear to be local, but they are spoofed through the Internet, several times," said Lt. Rylaarsdam.
The IRS will never:
- Call you to demand immediate payment. The IRS will not call if you owe taxes without first sending a bill in the mail.
- Demand you pay taxes and not allow you to question or appeal the amount you owe.
- Require that you pay your taxes a certain way. For instance, require that you pay with a prepaid debit card.
- Ask for your credit or debit card numbers over the phone.
- Threat to bring in law enforcement agencies to arrest you for not paying.
"The worst part of this is watching people be victimized. When the money is gone, it's gone. It's going out of the country," said Lt. Rylaarsdam.
Call (800) 366-4484 to report the scam. If you know you owe or think you may owe tax, call the IRS at (800) 829-1040.
