IRS Scam Targeting Orland Park Residents: Police
CHICAGO (STMW) -- Police are telling Orland Park residents to watch out for a scam targeting citizens with a phony Internal Revenue Service phone call.
Someone claiming to be from the IRS, in many cases with a foreign accent, calls the victim and tells them they need to send money for a "delinquent tax bill" using pre-paid GreenDot debit cards, MoneyGram or other forms of payment, according to a statement from Orland Park police.
The caller, who often becomes hostile, threatens arrest, foreclosure, deportation or "other dire consequences," and also attempts to get personal information in order to steal the victim's identity, police said.
The phone calls, which may have originated from another country, are a scam, police said, adding that the real IRS will never makes initial contact with citizens by phone and will never request personal information over the phone.
Police remind citizens they "should never give out personal information like birth dates, social security numbers or bank account numbers over the phone or through email."
The most recent phone numbers associated with calls in the southwest suburb are (206) 866-5560 and (206) 445-0554. Anyone who receives a suspicious call is asked to report it with the Orland Park Police Department.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2016. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)