Yates Co. Sheriff warns of IRS scams

According to Sheriff Ron Spike, “Individuals posing as IRS agents are calling residents on the telephone making demands for payment for debts alleged owed, and IRS phone calls such as this are scams and you should hang up immediately.”The number of fraudulent ID complaints the Sheriff’s Office is receiving from individuals is rising rapidly, especially during this holiday period. The threats are bogus and they seek personal information that could be used for an identity theft crime.If the IRS (Internal Revenue Service) deems you owe them money they will communicate via the US mail. Personal information including Social Security numbers and bank account information should never be given to telephone callers. Scammers frequently target senior citizens, and people get scared, and then mail money-grams. The Sheriff said, “We have other cases ongoing where people have sent several thousand dollars by wire transfer to pay taxes on prize winnings which is all bogus.”