Police believe phone scammers are demanding money from immigrants
Arlington police believe phone scammers are targeting immigrants.
Yesterday a resident was called on his cell phone by someone claiming to be from the FBI, according to police. The victim was threatened with deportation unless they withdrew thousands of dollars from a bank account and wired the money to the caller.
According to the press release, the victim was told federal agents were standing outside his house and were there to assist him in getting the money he owed to the government.
“We want everyone to understand that the government will never call you asking for money, and the IRS never calls demanding immediate payment via an untraceable method like a wire transfer,’’ said Arlington Police Chief Frederick Ryan.
According to Ryan, money sent over wire transfer is often unrecoverable.
Scammers can sometimes make the IRS toll-free number appear on a victim’s caller ID. They can also make background noise on the line to mimic a call site, threaten victims with jail time, and fake a call from local police.
Anyone who receives a call from someone claiming to be a member of the federal government should hang up immediately and call the police, said Police Chief Ryan. You can check if you do owe money to the government by calling the IRS at 1-800-829-1040.
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