Putnam Residents Warned Of IRS Phone, Email Scams

PUTNAM COUNTY, N.Y. -- Putnam County residents are being warned that there have been several complaints recently from residents who have received telephone calls that have targeted them in an IRS scam, according to the office of Putnam County Sheriff Donald B. Smith.

Daily Voice

03/17/2015 6:30 p.m.

Those calling falsely claimed to be IRS employees and usually know basic information about their targets, such as names and addresses, and claim that money is owed, according to the sheriff's office. Attempts are made by the callers to have payments made promptly using prepaid debit cards or wire transfers.

In addition to the recent phone scams, the sheriff would like to advise of an email targeting area residents recently. The scam email states that the subject will be “exempt” and needs to “re-certify” their tax exempt status by completing “form W-8BEN." The scam email mentions the website irs@usa.com. These e-mails are not from the IRS.

Residents can contact the IRS or go to the IRS.gov website for further information on the scams.

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