With tax season upon us, criminals often try to take advantage of unsuspecting individuals through tax-related scams. Your Haddam Resident Troopers remind you to NEVER provide personal information or your Social Security number to ANYONE over the phone or via email. The IRS will not contact you via phone or e-mail; correspondence will be sent via US Mail. Many scammers are using technology and automated systems to place “robo calls” to unsuspecting victims which contain information similar to what is noted below:
“This call is from the Department of Social Security Administration the reason you have received this phone call from our department is to inform you that we just suspended your Social Security number because we found some suspicious activity so if you want to know about this case just press one thank you.”
*Actual example
OR
“We have received a notification regarding your tax filings from the headquarters which will get expired in next 24 working hours. And once it gets expired after that, you will be taken into custody by the local cops as there are more serious allegations pressed on your name at this moment. We would request you to get back to us so that we can discuss about this case before taking any legal action against you.”
*Actual example
In reading the above examples, you will notice the poor grammar, run on sentences, and overall lack of professional tone in the messages (i.e. “You will be taken into custody by the local cops”). Again, scam attempts can come in many forms, and the above are just two examples of recent attempts that we have been seeing. If you receive a message similar to this, please do not let your emotions or fear cloud your judgment and panic; which is what scammers often prey on.
Due to advanced encryption and technology that is available to scammers, it is exceptionally difficult, if not impossible to trace the calls and identify these criminals. The simplest and most effective way to combat these types of scam attempts is DO NOT ANSWER calls from numbers that you do not recognize, simply IGNORE any messages left (voicemails, e-mails, etc.), and NEVER provide any personal information over the phone.
If you require any assistance or additional information regarding Identity Theft or cyber security related matters, please feel free to contact the Haddam Resident Troopers Office at 860-345-2796 or the Connecticut State Police Troop F at 860-399-2100.
