Sheriff's Office reports surge in IRS phone scams

The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office has received about 25 phone calls Friday alone from residents reporting that from someone claiming to be from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service or the Treasury Department called them and demanded money.

These scams happen all the time, but the Sheriff’s Office is warning residents not to fall victim to this scammer who reportedly tells residents that they owe money to the federal government and must pay promptly with a pre-paid debit card, credit card or wire transfer, or the resident could face jail time.

The Sheriff’s Office warns residents that the callers can be very aggressive and threatening.

They further warn that representatives from the government will never call a person demanding payment or ask for payment information over the phone.

The Sheriff’s Office says if a person has lost money, they should file a report with the department at http://report.citizenserviceportal.com/Report.aspx?agency=sloso.

This story was originally published May 1, 2015 at 2:07 PM with the headline "Sheriff's Office reports surge in IRS phone scams."