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IRS Phone Scammers Recently Calling Darien Residents

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After a number of town residents in the past couple of weeks received phone calls from scammers attempting to convince them they were collecting money for the IRS, Darien police recently put this July 27 post at the top of their Facebook timeline:

Darien residents continue to receive phone calls, both automated and in person, that are active scams.  The Internal Revenue Service has recently issued a consumer alert providing taxpayers with additional tips to protect themselves from telephone scam artists calling and pretending to be with the IRS. These callers may demand money or may say you have a refund due and try to trick you into sharing private information. These con artists can sound convincing when they call. They may know a lot about you, and they usually alter the caller ID to make it look like the IRS is calling. They use fake names and bogus IRS identification badge numbers.

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Darien Woman Loses $2,400 to Phone Scammer Who Said She Owed IRS

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A man saying he was from the Internal Revenue Service called a 54-year-0ld Darien woman to demand thousands of dollars of what he said was her unpaid tax bill, and the scam worked — she lost $2,400. Darien police said the scam happened this way:

On July 5, the woman received a voicemail message from someone purporting to be “Peter Morris” from the IRS, asking her to call him back at (202) 657-4773. Police said that according to an Internet search, the name “Peter Morris” had been used in previous phone scams. The man had an accident from the Indian subcontinent, the woman later told police. She called back the number and “Peter Morris” told her she owed $2,359 in taxes, and she would either be arested or subject to a federal lawsuit if she didn’t pay it immediately. He stayed on the phone with her and told her not to hang up but to go to her bank, withdraw the money, then go to a Walmart store to send a Moneygram.

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Darien Police: How to Avoid Being Victimized by IRS Phone Scams

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Darien police continue to warn residents about IRS phone scams and say Darienites are still getting scam phone calls. 

Here’s a statement police posted Wednesday morning on the department’s Facebook page:

Darien residents continue to receive phone calls, both automated and in person, that are active scams.  The Internal Revenue Service has recently issued a consumer alert providing taxpayers with additional tips to protect themselves from telephone scam artists calling and pretending to be with the IRS. These callers may demand money or may say you have a refund due and try to trick you into sharing private information. These con artists can sound convincing when they call. They may know a lot about you, and they usually alter the caller ID to make it look like the IRS is calling. They use fake names and bogus IRS identification badge numbers.