Jasper County Sheriff's Office Reporting Fraudulent Phone Calls

Jasper County Sheriff Rick Britton has announced that recently, many citizens of Jasper County have received phone calls fraudulently claiming to be from the IRS. Sheriff Britton said these calls are a phone scam attempting to get individuals to pay money by money order, credit card, wire transfer, etc.

According to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) citizens should be on “High Alert” against such scams. These scams are unsolicited calls where individuals, many from outside the United States, are attempting to defraud you of your money. The best thing to do is HANG UP and DO NOT ENGAGE THEM IN CONVERSATION or give any information. The IRS does not ask for payment by phone, prepaid debit cards, a money order or wire transfer.

As Sheriff, Britton has spoken to the Regional Supervisor for the IRS. He advised Britton that the IRS will never request personal or financial information by email, text, or any social media. In addition, there are similar scams such as lottery sweepstakes winners, debt relief, posing as one of your grandchildren who are incarcerated and needing bond.

If you have been contacted with a scam, you can fill out the IRS Impersonation scam: form on TIGTA’s Website, www.tigta.gov or call TIGTA at 800-366-4484 to report the offense. This may help provide a data base that may lead to the identification of the offenders.
You can read more about tax scams on the official IRS website at www.irs.gov.