Treasury Department/IRS SCAM ALERT!!
Don’t Give Scammers/Criminals Your Money!
The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a SCAM similar to the ones we continually hear about, but this one was a bit different. In this instance, the Scammers/Criminals showed up in person, wearing suits and claiming to be with the Treasury Department.
Scammers rely on fear and threats to steal your money, stop and verify information before you ever give your money away. The biggest tip, the Treasury Department, IRS, Law Enforcement, Businesses, or ANY other LEGITIMATE entity will NOT demand that you immediately pay with GIFT CARDS.
It WILL NOT happen, ever.
On April 18, 2023, a victim (60s) reported two males dressed in suits arrived at his home in North Spokane. The males claimed to be with the Treasury Department and arrived in a dark-colored sedan, possibly a Ford Crown Victoria.
The victim was told he owned the government money and a warrant would be issued for his arrest if he did not pay. He was instructed to go to Walgreens, 7905 N. Division Street, and purchase $400.00 in GIFT CARDS.
The victim went to the store and purchased the GIFT CARDS as instructed. The Fake Agent Scammers met him, and he gave them the codes from the cards. Doing this allows anyone with those codes to access the funds and steal your money.
The suspects never offered identification, and the victim did not ask to see any. One suspect was described as a white male, 30-40, approximately 6’01”, with brown hair.
The second suspect was described as a Middle Eastern male, approximately 5’10”, with black hair. The vehicle is described as a black four-door sedan, possibly a Ford Crown Vitoria.
Anyone with information regarding this incident that can help with this investigation you are asked to call Crime Check at 509-456-2233, reference #10054027.
Always ask anyone claiming to be with a business or government entity that contacts you, unannounced or unscheduled, to identify themselves if you are unsure if they are legitimate. Also, before you ever hand over any money or personnel information for any reason, do your own research and contact the business/entity personally using the numbers you looked up on your own.
Again, if anyone shows up at your door, contacts you on the phone, or emails you, demanding immediate payment with GIFT CARDS, it is a SCAM. Do not pay them and call Crime Check at 509-456-2233 immediately.
You can report SCAMS and find other resources on the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (https://www.cisa.gov/be-cyber-smart/report-incident) or the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) webpage (https://www.ic3.gov/).
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