Police In Connecticut: Phone Scammers Posing As IRS Agents, Demanding Back Taxes
TRUMBULL, Conn. (CBSNewYork) -- Phone scammers are preying on innocent taxpayers in Connecticut, police said.
One recent victim received a phone call from someone claiming to be an IRS agent who said the man's family owed $61,000 in back taxes but that the IRS would settle for $3,200, Trumbull police Lt. Leonard Scinto said.
"That's what he did," Scinto told WCBS 880 Connecticut Bureau Chief Fran Schneidau. " ... He was threatened with the immediate arrest of his wife if he didn't send money."
Victims are caught off-guard by the calls and not given time to think.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal said the phone scams have gotten out of control.
"The IRS has authority to investigate, but I'm going to be asking that it consult with the Department of Justice and the FBI," Blumenthal told Schneidau.
Blumenthal said those agencies have the first-rate forensics needed to trace calls and identify the voices of callers.
You May Also Be Interested In These Stories