Cherokee County residents have recently been receiving calls from someone claiming to be with the IRS – and as usual, the con artist attempts to separate the person receiving the call from his or her hard-earned money through a variety of threats; in this most recent case it’s the threat of a lawsuit – based upon some sort of unspecified so-called “problem”, with “tax money” being owed to the Internal Revenue Service.

A little on-line research quickly revealed that the number given to us – 202-684-6724 – has been reported numerous times in connection with this fraud. If you receive a call from that number, simply hang up. It’s a scam.

Remember, the IRS will NEVER contact you by telephone – they simply don’t work that way – official communications from the IRS will be delivered via the U.S. Postal Service. Also, all taxpayers will have adequate time in which to respond and/or dispute claims, in legitimate cases.

You can always contact the Internal Revenue Service directly to make sure there aren’t any problems with your tax situation; their number is 1-800-829-1040 – with calls being taken Monday – Friday, 7:00am – 7:00pm.

And, to top things off, we’ve also had reports of various other scam attempts taking place in the area recently.

People are receiving calls from scammers claiming to be with the Attorney General’s Office or a law enforcement agency threatening to sue in an attempt to collect a non-existent debt; other con-artists are calling saying a problem has been detected regarding your computer – and they can “fix” the problem after you give them your passwords. Should they manage to get your passwords that may very well allow them to tap into your computer system which in turn will allow them to tap into your bank account and your credit card info – running up huge amounts of debt.

If you receive a call from anyone you don’t know, asking for personal, private information – including your social security, credit card or bank account numbers – hang up.

In most cases, these calls come from outside the U.S., meaning once your money is gone, it’s gone for good because they’re beyond the reach of law enforcement.

Scammers are more sophisticated than ever, working harder than ever – in more ways than ever – to steal from you.

Be aware. These days you have to protect yourself from being taken advantage of.