Police warn of scam callers claiming to be from IRS

Havre police say people should be wary if they get a phone call from someone claiming to be an agent for the Internal Revenue Service.

Assistant Police Chief Jason Barkus said that several people have reported receiving calls from someone who tells people they are behind on taxes and they have a tax warrant filed against them.

They are told to pay the taxes via a wire transfer or a pre-loaded debit card.

“This is a scam and should be disregarded as a legitimate call from the IRS,” Barkus said.

The IRS told police they never call to demand immediate payment. People always get a bill in the mail before the IRS calls, Barkus said. People are given the opportunity to appeal before there is ever a demand for payment, he said. IRS never demands a certain form of payment.

They never call and demand debit or credit card numbers over the phone to threaten to bring in local police to have people arrested for not paying taxes.

Police caution people about providing personal information or authorizing payments over the phone.

If the call seems suspicious, police say people should hang up and call the agency the caller said he represented.