Another Phone Scam Making the Rounds

           

"GREENSBORO, NC (Dec. 7, 2015) – If you receive a phone call from someone claiming to be from the U.S. Treasury Department, be skeptical.  In the latest round of phone scams, fraudsters are telling people that they have a tax deficiency or other debts to the U.S. Treasury Department and will be arrested if Treasury agents are not paid immediately by pre-paid debit cards.

            According to a fraud alert issued by the U.S. Treasury Department, the phone call, voicemail, or email is a lie. “The telephone version of the scam usually involves a male caller whose first language is not English, as evidenced by a heavy accent and trouble with changing tenses in conversation,” according to the alert.

            If you should receive one of these calls or emails, hang up as soon as you recognize it is a scam. Never give personal information to an unsolicited caller. Don’t give money to the caller.

            

If you have already provided banking information to one of these criminals, contact your banking institution and/or credit card issuer for assistance in protecting yourself against identity theft.  If you have already provided money to one of these criminals, report the crime to the police.

Anyone who receives a fraudulent electronic mail contact of this sort should consider filing a complaint with the Internet Crime Control Center (ICCC), at www.ic3.gov.  The ICCC is a joint partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the National White Collar Crime Center. "

- A Press Release