IRS scam: College student pays $7,900 to scammers who had her personal information - TomoNews
TomoNews US
2016-10-22
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HAMDEN, CONNECTICUT — A Connecticut college student lost thousands of dollars when she fell for a trap set by thieves posing as the IRS.
Caissie Davis is a journalism major at Quinnipiac University. Scammers called her using a number that showed up as a local police station. The caller threatened to arrest her if she didn’t pay a $2,900 federal student tax, CBS reports.
That tax does not exist, but Caissie didn’t know that. She was terrified and fell for the scam because the caller had all of her personal information. She was told she owed additional fees and was tricked into driving 30 miles to different stores to purchase iTunes and Target gift cards.
All the while, her bank’s fraud alert system was sending warnings to her father, who manages her account. He tried desperately to call her but couldn’t get through because she was on the phone with the scammers the entire time, making various payments.
In all, Caissie Davis handed over more than $7,900 to the crooks.
Police said they are unable to identify Caissie’s scammers because con artists like these use untraceable payment methods.
Caissie is telling her story so this won’t happen to you.
A spokesperson for the IRS told CBS that the IRS does not call to demand money in a specific form by phone. It does not threaten immediate arrest. And it will never ask for credit card details over the phone.
Caissie Davis is a journalism major at Quinnipiac University. Scammers called her using a number that showed up as a local police station. The caller threatened to arrest her if she didn’t pay a $2,900 federal student tax, CBS reports.
That tax does not exist, but Caissie didn’t know that. She was terrified and fell for the scam because the caller had all of her personal information. She was told she owed additional fees and was tricked into driving 30 miles to different stores to purchase iTunes and Target gift cards.
All the while, her bank’s fraud alert system was sending warnings to her father, who manages her account. He tried desperately to call her but couldn’t get through because she was on the phone with the scammers the entire time, making various payments.
In all, Caissie Davis handed over more than $7,900 to the crooks.
Police said they are unable to identify Caissie’s scammers because con artists like these use untraceable payment methods.
Caissie is telling her story so this won’t happen to you.
A spokesperson for the IRS told CBS that the IRS does not call to demand money in a specific form by phone. It does not threaten immediate arrest. And it will never ask for credit card details over the phone.
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