The Kentucky Attorney General’s Office is warning consumers of a phone scam circulating through the commonwealth.
The callers claim to be representatives or officers with the Internal Revenue Service and tell victims they owe money to the IRS. Communications Director Alison Martin in the Kentucky Attorney General's Office told WKU Public Radio that she received one of the calls.
"I knew it was a scam, but I wanted to find out more information, so when I called the hotline number, the person identified himself as 'Officer Daniel,' Martin explained. "I went on to say that I was an employee of the Office of Attorney General and I knew he was operating a scam and we would be turning over the information to the Federal Trade Commission for investigation. That's about as far as the call went with me, but I know of several other people who have reported similar calls to our office."
The scammers leave voice messages stating the victim must take care of a “time-sensitive matter" and return the call, or the IRS will take legal action. The calls have originated from the 415 and 202 area codes.
“If you receive a call from someone claiming to be a representative from the IRS who is threatening to take legal action against you, that is a strong indicator that it’s not really the IRS,” Attorney General Conway said in a news release. “Additionally, when the IRS first contacts a taxpayer, they do so via postal mail, not by phone.”
Consumers are also encouraged to watch out for fake emails that look like legitimate IRS correspondence.
