A male caller posing as a deputy from the Washington County Sheriff's Office has started calling people at home, wrongly telling them they owe money to the Internal Revenue Service.
The scammer warns of an impending arrest if the money is not paid, investigations commander Cheri Dexter said Thursday.
Residents will see a phone number on their caller IDs from the Sheriff's Office, but that number is "spoofed" from an out-of-state caller, she said.
Such calls are included on the "Dirty Dozen" list of tax scams, the IRS said last winter. Criminals posing as police officers or IRS agents try to provoke people on the spot into paying so-called tax debts they don't owe, the IRS said. The scammers will demand financial information and often pressure people into sending them cash by threatening prosecution.
Numerous warnings have been issued in recent months by consumer agencies such as the Better Business Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission. Criminals often target vulnerable people and people who are new immigrants, investigators say.
Earlier this summer, the Minneapolis Police Department issued a warning about the same type of scam.
Dexter said the Washington County Sheriff's Office, city police departments and the courts will never call residents and demand they pay outstanding fines or tickets by phone, especially with prepaid credit cards.
Those who have been a victim of the IRS scam and haven't already reported it should contact their local police agency, she said.
