The Starkville Police Department is continuing to warn the community to be aware of potential phone scammers posing as representatives of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) after the issue was first reported earlier this month.
SPD Public Information Officer Brandon Lovelady previously said scammers will typically threaten the victim with incarceration or issuance of warrants for noncompliance.
“If you believe you have been scammed please contact your local law enforcement agency,” Lovelady said.
The Office of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) says Americans have lost more than $23 million by giving out information and money to scammers impersonating the Internal Revenue Service.
TIGTA officials also say scammers often use a fake telephone number and fake area code, before demanding immediate payment and threatening arrest or deportation.
The IRS will generally make first contact via letter and will never demand immediate payment or threaten force.
If you suspect you have been contacted by an IRS scammer, submit an incident report with TIGTA at www.tigta.gov. or call the TIGTA hotline at 1-800-366-4484.