Franklin Lakes PD: Phishing Scam Hits Borough

For the second month in a row, the Franklin Lakes Police Department is warning residents against a popular phishing scam that has recently hit the borough.

The PD posted the following warning on the township website:

Several residents have recently received calls from someone claiming to be from the IRS. The caller will request personal information and threaten arrest if they do not comply. Residents should be aware that this is another form of phishing scam in an attempt to obtain their personal information or credit card numbers. The IRS will not call individuals and request personal information. If you are unsure, you should obtain a name and callback number and contact the local Police for assistance.

Characteristics of these scams can include:

• Scammers “spoof” or imitate the IRS toll-free number on caller ID to make it appear that it’s the IRS calling.
• Scammers use fake names and IRS badge numbers. They generally use common names and surnames to identify themselves.
• Scammers may be able to recite the last four digits of a victim’s Social Security Number.
• Scammers sometimes send bogus IRS emails to some victims to support their bogus calls.
• Victims hear background noise of other calls being conducted to mimic a call site.

If you get a phone call from someone claiming to be from the IRS, here’s what you should do: If you know you owe taxes or you think you might owe taxes, call the IRS at 800-829-1040. The IRS employees at that line can help you with a payment issue – if there really is such an issue.

If you know you don’t owe taxes or have no reason to think that you owe any taxes (for example, you’ve never received a bill), then call and report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 800-366-4484.

If you’ve been targeted by these scams, you should also contact the Federal Trade Commission and use their “FTC Complaint Assistant” at www.FTC.gov.  Please add "IRS Telephone Scam" to the comments of your complaint. Click here for more information.