PHONE SCAM II

On Wednesday, an IRS agent said they needed to talk to Barbara Novak right away.

"There were two very nasty calls from people saying they were officers of the IRS and that we needed to call them right away," Novak said. I called them and (they) said I had not paid my taxes in four years. But the 60-year-old Beekman resident said she knew it was scam right away, she said. She told them she knew they were scammers, and that she planned to report them to the Better Business Bureau. A summer spike in telephone scams that target senior citizens is not unusual, warned state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. "To prevent senior citizens from becoming victims of fraud and abuse, we must empower them with information they can use to protect themselves," Schneiderman said via a news release. Schneiderman identified IRS phone scams as one of five of the most common scams, based on complaints and other evidence collected by his office. Novak said the callers told her they would not call again. "I have an accountant," she said. "I did call our accountant," who said another person got a similar call. The caller had a foreign accent and the call came from a Washington, D.C.-based area code, Novack added. Beth Finkel, state director for AARP, said fraud cost the nation's elderly an estimated $2.9 billion in 2011. AARP's free Fraud Watch Network provides information to people of all ages and assistance to victims.

TYPICAL SCAMS

Grandparent scam: A senior might receive an urgent phone call from someone who claims to be a grandchild who has an emergency, is out of town and needs money fast. The caller begs the grandparent not to tell his parents and to wire money quickly. Scammers might use actual relatives' names and information they get from social media.

Jury duty scam: The caller will claim to be a court officer and say there is a warrant for the victim's arrest, for failing to report for jury duty. The caller also claims that there is a fine for not showing up, and that unless the fine is paid immediately, via Green Dot Card Money Card or Western Union MoneyGram, the victim will be arrested.

Lottery scam: The caller claims a person won a foreign lottery and requests that the "winner" wire money or send a check to cover taxes and fees. Legitimate contests do not request money upfront. The caller might ask for bank information, claiming they want to direct deposit winnings electronically.

IRS scam: The caller says they are an IRS agent or police officer calling about a past due tax balance. Unless the debt is paid immediately with a Green Dot Card Money Card or Western Union MoneyGram, officers will arrest the victim that day, the caller claims. These scammers might use caller ID hacks, so that the ID name or number appears to be that of the IRS.

Utility scam: The caller claims to be a local utility provider representative; sometimes, they have the victim's correct account number and may have obtained personal information via social media. They tell the resident that they have to pay a late utility bill immediately, via Green Dot Card Money Card or Western Union MoneyGram, or service will be cut.

Culled from: Poughkeepsie Journal