It’s a common scam that thieves like to use during tax season.  They call an unsuspecting person and tell them that they are with the IRS and then tell the person on the other end of the line that they owe back taxes and if they don’t get a pre-paid card and pay the alleged back taxes immediately they will be arrested.

A scam similar to this was reported to the Chattooga County Sheriff’s Department last week, according to a report released yesterday.  The Summerville woman told a deputy that she received a call with a recorded message from a 415-506-2430 number and when she attempted to call it back she found that it was not a valid number, but instead a number that had been assigned for a “Magic Jack” device. 

The woman told the deputy that she had not given out any personal information but wanted to file a report.  The report was forwarded to investigations with the sheriff’s department.

Sheriff Mark Schrader says that residents should be diligent about not giving out personal information and should never purchase a pre-paid money card and give the information to someone such as the caller that attempted to scam this woman.