Roseville residents have been flooded with calls from people claiming to be with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and trying to scam them out of their money. But the IRS never calls to demand immediate payment on the phone.
Nevertheless, Roseville police officers have received dozens of complaints from residents who have received these calls.
One resident said she had three calls in one day from someone claiming to be with the IRS. The scammer tried to scare her with the threat of being arrested for taxes that she owed. Other scam artists say they have your tax return, and they need to verify details to process your return. The scammer tries to get you to give up personal information such as a Social Security number or personal financial information, such as bank account numbers or credit cards.
The IRS will never:
- Call to demand immediate payment over the phone.
- Call about taxes owed without first having mailed you several bills.
- Call or email you to verify your identity by asking for personal or financial information.
- Demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe.
- Require you to use a specific payment method for your taxes, such as a prepaid debit card.
- Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone or email.
- Threaten to immediately bring in local police or other law enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.
If You Believe You’ve Been a Victim of a Scam:
- Report it to the Federal Trade Commission hotline: 877-FTC-HELP (877-382-4357) or online at www.ftc.gov.
- Report it to the Roseville Police at 9-1-1.
- Report it to the Attorney General’s office at www.ag.state.mn.us or 651-296-3353.
The Roseville Police Department offers several crime prevention presentations to include ID Theft & Scam Prevention. If you would like to schedule a presentation for your group, please contact Community Relations Coordinator Corey Yunke at corey.yunke@cityofroseville.com or 651-792-7209.