The Cochise County Sheriff’s Office has seen a marked increase of IRS phone scams and last Friday there were five seperate reports in a three hour time period in the Sierra Vista area. Imagine how many went unreported.
The caller identifies him/herself as being with the IRS and a warrant will be issued for the arrest of the resident if money is not paid.
the Sheriff’s Department cannot stress hard enough the importance of hanging up on these calls and/or not returning a call that is supposedly coming from the IRS. The IRS will always contact you via US Mail if they need additional informaiton, or to speak with you.
Of the five reports on Friday, one person provided personal information. The scammers will generally prey on older retired people using strong intimidation techniques.