Rehoboth Police Warn of New Telephone Scams

The Rehoboth Police Department would like to warn residents of an increase in telephone based scams. Police have received numerous reports from residents of various phone related scams occurring in Town in recent weeks. Several residents have reported being contacted by individuals claiming to be employees of the IRS. Victims are told they owe money to the IRS and it must be paid promptly through a pre-loaded debit card or wire transfer. If the victim refuses to cooperate, they are then threatened with arrest, deportation or suspension of a business or driver’s license. In many cases, the caller becomes hostile and insulting. These callers can sound convincing when they call. They use fake names and bogus IRS identification badge numbers. They may know a lot about their targets, and they usually alter the caller ID to make it look like the IRS is calling. This Is A Scam and no money or information should be provided to the caller.

This is one example of a common phone scam affecting Rehoboth Residents and citizens throughout the County. Numerous similar type scams exist and Residents should use caution and report any suspicious activity to the police department.

Note that the IRS will never: 1) call to demand immediate payment, nor will the agency call about taxes owed without first having mailed you a bill; 2) demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe; 3) require you to use a specific payment method for your taxes, such as a prepaid debit card; 4) ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone; or 5) threaten to bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.

The Rehoboth Police Department offers the following guidance to residents:

• Do not give out your date of birth, social security number or bank account number. If the company calling you is legitimate, they would have that information and would not need you to provide it.
• Rule of Thumb: If an organization asks for your personal identification, they want it for illegitimate purposes. Do not provide it.
• If someone asks to come to your residence to collect any monies or items, do not give out your address. If an organization is legitimate, they do not make collections in this manner.
• Rule of Thumb: If someone asks to come to your residence for collection purposes, suspect a scam and do not give out your address.
• If an organization contacts you by phone, ask for a return point of contact and a return phone number. Prior to calling back, perform some research on the organization to determine legitimacy. Most official -organizations have alerts on their websites and have official numbers to call. Rule of Thumb: If the call sounds suspicious, ask for a return number and try to call them back.
• Chances are you did not win an out of state or out of country lottery. If you are contacted advising you of winning a foreign lottery, do not provide bank account numbers or personal data. Ask for a return number and research the many variations of this scam online.
• If an organization contacts you and reports that they are a foreign law enforcement agency (or related agency), reporting an incarceration or injury to one of your distant relatives in that foreign country, please verify the agency, country and call back number and contact local police or the Attorney General’s office.

See the below link describing some of the most common IRS SCAMS and additional information: http://www.irs.gov/uac/Tax-Scams-Consumer-Alerts.

If you feel you may have been contacted and/or involved in one of these types of scams contact the Rehoboth Police Department. You can also learn more about SCAMS and Identity Theft at the website for the Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General at the following link: http://www.mass.gov/ago/consumer-resources/consumer-information/scams-and-identity-theft/.