ALERT: IRS Phone Scam in Piedmont
The Piedmont Police Department is notifying Piedmont residents of callers posing as IRS agents attempting to extort money from residents.
The IRS and other law enforcement agencies DO NOT CONTACT individuals through phone calls demanding money.
Some residents are not alert to these scams and do not subscribe to information outlets. You are asked to inform your friends and neighbors, particularly senior citizens, about the scams.
Press Release
July 18, 2014
The Piedmont Police Department would like to make the citizens of Piedmont aware of potential phone/email scams that some of our residents have encountered.
Over the last two months, subjects posing as IRS agents and/or other law enforcement agency employees have called Piedmont residents demanding an immediate transfer of cash which they claim is owed to the agency. They instruct victims to avoid being arrested they must send large sums of cash to a given address or call back with a credit or debit card to take care of the debt.
The Piedmont Police Department encourages citizens to be vigilant against phone/email scams that use the IRS or other law enforcement as a lure. These agencies do not initiate contact with citizens by email or phone to request personal or financial information. This includes any type of electronic communication, such as text messages and social media channels. They also do not ask for PINs, passwords or similar confidential access information for credit card, bank or other financial accounts. Recipients of these phone calls or emails should not answer questions, give out any personal information or open any attachments, or click on any links contained in the message.
For more information on these and other similar phone/email scams you can visit the IRS website at http://www.irs.gov or the California Attorney General’s website at http://oag.ca.gov
If you are a Piedmont resident and you believe you are the victim of one of these phone calls, please contact the Piedmont Police Department at 510-420-3000.
Anyone needing further information and/or with inquiries can contact Detective Willie Wright at (510) 420-3013.
