Don’t fall for IRS Scams

The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office is warn citizens about recent IRS scams reported to them. Oconee County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Jimmy Watt offers these tips to avoid becoming a victim. “Scammers love to play on people’s emotions and one of those emotions. We are continuing to hear about IRS scams and much of the information we hear is the same in regards to what citizens are being told. One of the things we always hear from the scammers is the threat of arrest due to back taxes being paid. We have emphasized on more than one occasion that the IRS will send a letter in the mail to notify individuals of issues regarding their taxes and they will not call you on the phone or threaten you with arrest. In this case, we see something involving a prepaid card and as we have stated in this release, legitimate businesses and organizations will not require payment on a prepaid card. We recommend that if you receive a call from someone claiming to be from the IRS, hang up the phone and contact the Internal Revenue Service at 1-800-829-1040 to make an inquiry concerning your tax status. Also, you can report an IRS scam directly to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration by visiting www.treasury.gov/tigta.” To read the complete release on the latest scams reported to the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office, visit www.oconeelaw.com.