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The victim said the caller Saturday told him if he didn’t pay the money that day, Teaneck police would arrest him.
He said he then got a call from someone pretending to be a Teaneck police officer.
In both cases, Caller ID numbers showed the I.R.S. toll-free number and the one for township police.
Fearing that he would be arrested, the victim followed the caller’s instructions to withdraw $7,000 from his bank account and transfer the money onto several “Reloadit” debit cards, Police Chief Robert Wilson said.
He then gave the caller the redemption numbers for the cards.
With April 15 a little over a month away, the I.R.S. has repeatedly warned citizens to beware of scammers.
Some have used fake I.R.S. badge numbers or use common names / surnames to identify themselves. They may even know the last four digits of your Social Security number, which can be retrieved from various bills or through online account hacking.
FACT: The I.R.S. doesn’t call anyone to directly ask for money. It also doesn’t email you for personal information such as your Social Security number, date of birth, bank account numbers, or passwords.
If you think you owe the I.R.S. money, call and ask the agency directly (800-829-1040). If you get a scam call, notify police immediately.
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