Warning: Bozeman, I Almost Got Scammed
I just got a scam alert from the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office. The scammers had just called me. Luckily it all seemed fishy.
Here is what happened: I get a call saying I was about to be arrested for income tax problems. The IRS is calling me? I am about to be arrested? It scares you, but how could it be true? I pay my taxes. They leave a phone number 701-428 -****. Odd, that area code is not Washington D.C. It's Fargo, I think.
But I still call. I don't want to be arrested. The person who tells me he is with the IRS tells me the only way to not get arrested is to send them a payment. Now, this guy from the IRS sounds like he is in a call center. You know when you hear lots of people in the background? I start asking him questions like, What is my social security number? I mean, if he is really from the IRS, he would have that information. He turned it around and asked me tmy number.
Now I was sure it was a scam. I hung up. So when I got the alert about how a warrant was going to be placed on me, I realized they are doing it to a lot of people here in Montana. The alert also warns:
The Sheriff’s Office has also been made aware of another scam. In this scam, people who are looking for rental homes are contacted and asked to provide personal information. The rentals are actually homes for sale in the local area, but they are not for rent. This is also a scam. Please do not provide your personal information to any individual or organization unless you have fully researched their legitimacy.
So be careful. They almost got me. Don't let them get you.
Dominick