HOLLAND (WHTC) — A phone scam has hit West Michigan and complaints are burning up Ottawa County’s 911 line.
Chris Karish, an Ottawa County Dispatch supervisor, said his dispatchers are getting as many as 50 calls a day from people who have received calls allegedly from the Internal Revenue Service.
The IRS never calls people to ask for payment of taxes, Karish said. Anyone receiving such a call “should just hang up,” he added.
You don’t need to call 911 unless you’ve given out personal information by phone, he said. If you have shared personal or financial information, “a fraud incident has then taken place,” he said; call 911 as soon as possible to report the crime.
The only time to share personal information by phone, Karish said, is when you place a call to a trusted source — such as a health care provider, public utility company or government agency, “when you know the number you’ve called … I don’t ever give out information to a phone call that I’ve received.”
The scammers also use email — which the IRS also never uses — to ask for payments.
Karish said people can report phone or email scam calls directly to the IRS Impersonation Scam Reporting web page or by calling (800) 366-4484.
People can also contact the Federal Trade Commission via the FTC Complaint Assistant — to report phone scams. Make sure to include “IRS Telephone Scam” in your note.
If you do owe taxes (or think you do), call the IRS directly at (800) 829-1040 to get help.
Listen to the complete podcast of WHTC’s interview with Karish.
— Peg McNichol
