The Boone County Sheriff’s office has issued the following alert regarding a phone scam being conducted in the region from callers claiming to be associated with the Internal Revenue Service:
The Boone County Sheriff’s Office and our dispatch center, Public Safety Communications Center (P.S.C.C.), has been inundated with calls from people concerned about telephone calls they’re receiving from imposters claiming to be from the Internal Revenue Service (I.R.S.) telling them they owe money and unless they purchase gift cards as payment they will be arrested.
The Boone County Sheriff’s Office asks residents to simply take a few minutes and think it through when presented with questionable/suspicious encounters.
Legitimate government organizations, i.e. I.R.S. & Sheriff’s offices, do not threaten people with a warrant and then insist on staying on the phone with them while they drive to the store to purchase gift cards only to have the victim provide the caller the number on the card which they then cash immediately.
Keep in mind; the scammers are only limited by their imaginations. They can always add a twist to an existing ruse or simply create a new one. What they have in common is they count on catching the victim unprepared and impress upon them the urgency of their actions or face dire consequences AND their methods are diametrically opposed to conventional business and government models.
Our suggested remedy is to simply hang up on them. If you believe there is a chance it could be valid, obtain a name and phone number and tell them you’ll call them back after you check them out.
Contact your local law enforcement agency to assist you in determining the legitimacy of the call.
Boone County Sheriff