Published: May 15, 2008 10:38 pm            

IRS says beware of telephone scams

The man on the telephone told Frankie Evans that since she had been a good taxpayer and had not filed for bankruptcy, the Internal Revenue Service wanted to reward her to the tune of $3,500.

But when the man asked for her bank account number so he could send her the money, Evans, 74, of Dalton, suspected something was not right.

“He made it sound so real for about five minutes,” Evans said. “There’s no telling where he might have been from.”

Evans refused to give the man her account number and called her bank. She was told that the man and another man who was on the phone were likely trying to scam her.

The telephone scam is one of two scams that the IRS (www.IRS.gov) is currently warning citizens about. The other involves an e-mail that asks taxpayers to click on a link to fill out a form to begin direct deposit of their economic stimulus payment. According to the IRS, the agency will not call or e-mail people and ask for their personal information. Instead, the agency will use the information listed on their tax return.

Dalton Police spokesman Brian Pack said the department has not received any reports about such scams yet. Evans admits she did not call police but said she is telling her story to warn others.

“I want people to know so they don’t fall for it,” she said.



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For more on suspicious e-mails and identity theft, visit http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=155682,00.html.

        

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