Sheriff Warns of Tax Scam

Stephens County Sheriff Randy Shirley is warning area residents to be on the lookout for another round of tax scams.

Shirley said that this area and areas in upstate South Carolina have been targeted in the latest round of phone scams where callers pretend to be from the Internal Revenue Service.

“They will call telling you there is an arrest warrant issued for them for back taxes and if they (the victim) goes to Western Union and send money to them, the arrest warrant will be dismissed,” said Shirley.

Shirley said that the scam artists are operating out of the country, but use technology to show an out of area code telephone number, but one that is in the U.S.

He said to his knowledge, nobody in Stephens County has lost any money yet to this latest round of scams.

However, he said the threat is always there.

As a result, Shirley said people should keep some tips in mind.

“The worst thing you can do is engage the scammer on the telephone,” said Shirley. “I would let out of area code calls go to answering machine.”

He said if you do answer, do not talk to them.

Shirley said people should also always be wary of anyone requesting a payment over the phone, especially if the request is for prepaid cards.

He said that if the IRS is trying to contact someone, they will do so in a very clear and formal manner.

“If they are auditing you, they will send you a certified letter,” said Shirley.

The sheriff said anyone with concerns about tax scams should contact their local law enforcement agency.