The Dubuque Police Department has received numerous recent reports of a scam in which the caller purports to represent the Internal Revenue Service (I.R.S.) and claims there is some issue that will result in legal action if not quickly rectified.
Legitimate federal, state, and local governmental agencies do not make calls of this nature regardless of the circumstances. Additionally, as a reminder, caller I.D. systems can be “spoofed” to make incoming calls appear to be originating from a legitimate source. Always verify with absolute certainty the legitimacy of an inquiry before sharing personal/account information and/or sending money.
How to Report a Scam
• Victims who incur a loss due to an IRS scam or any government impersonation scam should report the loss to law enforcement.
• Citizens who were not scammed but who wish to report any government imposter scam can report it to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) through the FTC Complaint Assistant at www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov.
• Citizens who want to verify whether they owe federal taxes or penalties should contact the IRS directly. The IRS assistance number is 1-800-829-1040.
• Citizens who were not scammed but who wish to report being contacted by an IRS impersonator can report it to the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Taxpayer Administration (TIGTA): http://www.treasury.gov/tigta or 1-800-366-4484.