Recent reports have been filed with the Pearl River County Sheriff’s Department regarding attempts to gather personal information under the guise of the Internal Revenue Service.
Chief Deputy Shane Tucker said that this time of year the department receives reports of potential scams.
The most important thing to remember is that the IRS will never call individuals, at home or on a cellphone, about tax issues, Tucker said.
The IRS will also never ask for personal information, he said.
If a resident receives a call from someone claiming to work for the IRS, hang up the phone, Tucker said.
“There’s no sense in having a conversation in the first place,” he said. “If they’re asking for any information from you, the IRS would already have that.”
All IRS communications are in writing though the mail, Tucker said.
Other scams have occurred across the nation, included one aimed at Amazon and PayPal users.
According to previous coverage, users of those services would receive an email made to appear as through it was sent from the company. The email often contains grammatical errors and often asks for account or personal information.
If an email appears suspicious, users are advised not to click on any link or download any software associated with the suspicious email. Instead, start a new browser session and visit the website directly to login safely and verify the issue, previous coverage states.
Last June, another email scam circulated to Mississippi business owners, claiming to be from the Attorney General’s Office stating a complaint had been filed against their business.
Anyone who clicked on the link had ended up downloading a computers virus or malware, according to previous coverage.
Calls demanding payment on alleged debts via gift cards or other forms of payment are common in scams reported across the U.S., previous coverage states.
Residents are advised to keep an eye out for misspellings, suspicious questions or demands and verifying information with a trusted source to avoid becoming a victim of fraud.
IRS impersonation scam reports can be filed at https://www.treasury.gov/tigta/contact_report_scam.shtml