Police warn of IRS scam

Eastlake police are warning residents about an IRS fraud scam.

According to an Eastlake police Facebook post, a resident reported to them that a man and woman called her claiming that they were with the IRS. They told her she owed about $5,000 in back taxes. They instructed her to go to the store and buy Google Play Gift cards.

“This is a reminder that there are many scams going around,” the department wrote in the Facebook post. “The IRS will never call you nor will they ever take back pay in gift cards. Visit irs.gov if you have any questions.”

The number that showed up on the resident’s caller ID was the Willowick Police Department’s. According to the Federal Trade Commission, scammers are using fake caller ID to trick prospective victims into thinking that the call is local. The practice is called ID spoofing.

“Don’t rely on caller ID to verify who’s calling,” the FTC stated in a post on its website. “It can be nearly impossible to tell whether the caller ID information is real.”

The FTC offers the following tips:

• If you get a strange call from the government, hang up. If you want to check it out, visit the official (.gov) website for contact information. Government employees won’t call out of the blue to demand money or account information.

• Don’t give out — or confirm — your personal or financial information to someone who calls.

• Don’t wire money or send money using a reloadable card. In fact, never pay someone who calls out of the blue, even if the name or number on the caller ID looks legit.

• Feeling pressured to act immediately? Hang up. That’s a sure sign of a scam.

Willoughby Detective Lt. James Schultz previously told the News-Herald that scams of all types increase during the holiday season and the elderly are often targeted.