Police Warn Residents After Bloomfield Woman Loses $5,000 In IRS Scam
BLOOMFIELD TWP. (WWJ) - A Bloomfield Township woman is the latest to lose money as a result of an IRS scam.
The woman, who was not identified, told investigators she recently received an urgent automated message from an organization claiming to be the IRS. When the woman called the organization, she was told she had been found guilty during an audit and needed to transfer money to a re-loadable bank card or risk immediate arrest.
The woman told police she suspected it was a scam, so she questioned the person she was speaking with. While the caller provided answers, the woman searched the internet in an effort to corroborate what she was being told, police said.
At one point, the woman said she was on a conference call with someone claiming to be an official from the Oakland County Sheriff's Office. Police say the woman even compared the name and number on her caller ID, and the number seemed to be authentic.
Thinking that everything appeared authentic, the woman remained on the phone for over five hours, police said, while she drove to the bank and local stores to electronically transfer funds. When all was said and done, the woman had transferred $5,000 to the scammers.
"Unfortunately, the power of the internet and other technology allows criminals to easily create the illusion that they know more than they do," police said in a statement. "Once criminals have your name they can easily determine where you live, then search for local stores, local police websites, phone numbers, and names of officials."
After the crooks have their information, police say they use a technique called spoofing which allows them to trick caller ID and e-mail addresses into displaying fake numbers and names.
"That, coupled with the use of Google Street View, allows the criminal to appear as though they may be following the victim or at least know much about them, even being able to provide a description of the victim's home," police said. "The resulting fear convinces the victim to cooperate."
Police are reminding residents that the IRS and law enforcement do not operate in this manner.
"Never provide money or personal information over the phone, especially if the other person called you," police said. "If the person on the other end asks for confirmation of some information you should respond by telling them that you only deal through the mail and if they are legitimate, they already have that information in their files."
