Bridgewater police warn of scam with man impersonating officer
Bridgewater police warned residents of a scam involving a man impersonating an officer demanding that victims pay the IRS through iTunes gift cards in a statement on Thursday.An individual, claiming to be an IRS “agent,” recently called a Bridgewater resident to collect overdue taxes, stating that they would be arrested if they didn’t pay, according to the statement.Police said a man impersonating a Bridgewater police officer then called the resident and instructed them to buy several iTunes gift cards as payment to the IRS, stating they would be arrested if they did not do so. The scammer managed to clone the police department’s business line phone number so that “Bridgewater police” appeared on caller ID.The IRS “agent” then called the resident back and remained on the phone with them while they bought around $3,000 in iTunes gifts cards at several locations in town, according to police.Police urged residents to use caution and said that the IRS always contacts people by mail first about unpaid taxes and does not demand payment in any form of gift cards. Anyone encountering this scam should hang up and either call the IRS at 800-829-1040 or police at 508-697-6118.
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