During this past week, the Edwardsville Police Department received several calls from individuals who have been the victims of an attempted telephone scam.
Individuals identifying themselves as employees of the Internal Revenue Services (IRS) are claiming to be working with local police agencies and state if the call recipient does not wire money as directed, he or she will be arrested by local police. Some of the scam callers have been able to manipulate the recipient’s telephone caller identification system to make it appears as if the calls is coming from the Edwardsville Police Department non-emergency line (618-656-2131).
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Edwardsville Police Chief Jay Keeven said one of the major problems is the Edwardsville Police Department number coming up repeatedly when the people are trying to accomplish carrying out the scam.
“This time of year there are a lot of scams out there,” Keeven added.
A young Glen Carbon woman was a victim to the scam, Keeven said and has provided information that helps police in this case. He said the Edwardsville Police Department just wanted to do their part to get this information out.
These calls are clearly a scam, as the IRS will not call individuals to solicit money or threaten to arrest if money is not sent. Unfortunately, as the end of the year approaches and a new tax season begins, there will be more of these types of scams occurring, Keeven said.
If you have the slightest doubt about the legitimacy of a call, contact a trusted friend, relative or the local police department.
People are urged to not send money to these individuals. The scammers will often use bullying tactics on the telephone to convince an individual to send money. Police say the best thing to do is simply hang up the phone.
The IRS provides very detailed information regarding phone scams at the following website:
http://www.irs.gov/uac/Newsroom/IRS-Renews-Phone-Scam Warning. The men and women of the Edwardsville Police Department said they wished everyone in the area a safe and “scam-free” holiday season.
Note: Dan Brannan contributed to this Edwardsville Police Department release.
