IRS scam artists plague West Tennessee

GIBSON COUNTY, Tenn. — With tax season finally here, the IRS and local law enforcement are warning people to beware of scam artists.

“It’s just a scam,” Gibson County Sheriff Paul Thomas said. “It’s quite frankly a scam — someone trying to get over on someone.”

People being victims of fake IRS calls have been reported in Hardeman, Dyer and Gibson counties.

Residents are receiving multiple calls from different area codes telling them to pay up or be arrested.

“On my cell phone I’ve gotten several of them,” Sheriff Thomas said. “And there’s a little bit of frustration with the citizens because most understand that it’s a scam.”

Even though many people realize these calls are a scam right away, over the years the sheriff says senior citizens who live alone have been the main targets.

The scam artists behind these calls aren’t just posing as the IRS looking to collect. The sheriff says some callers are claiming they’re law enforcement threatening to arrest.

“The IRS doesn’t operate that way,” Thomas said. “We don’t operate that way. If Gibson County Sheriff’s [department] has a warrant for you, we’ll come look for you. We won’t call you and tell you we’re coming.”

Although folks expect law enforcement to look into these fake IRS calls, the sheriff says there isn’t much they can do but warn residents this type of fraud is affecting our area.

“There’s some that want us to pursue it or do something with it. It’s near impossible to investigate,” Thomas said. “There’s no way of knowing where the call generated from. We just need to get the word out to let these people know — don’t send any money, by wire, by mail or any other transfer.”

Reports of these scam calls in Madison County haven’t been reported yet, but the department says there is a surge of calls like this every year, especially around tax season.

According to a report released by the IRS, this year more than a thousand IRS scams already have been reported.