Government does not solicit payment through money cards
Downingtown Police said they received a complaint recently from a resident of East Caln Township that someone from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) called him and threatened very high fines if he did not do as instructed.
The victim said “David” from the IRS told him to purchase money cards and then call him, which the victim did after buying three Green Dot Money Pak cards totaling $1,475, police said. The victim then called “David” and recited the code numbers on the cards, which resulted in an electronic debit of $1,475 to his account, police said.
Police said that the scam is a familiar one, and they want to remind residents that the IRS – or any other government agency – would never call or email to request money transfers through cash cards. In fact, any email or phone calls received asking for payments over the phone or through email by wiring money or money orders should be considered potential fraud, police said.
Downingtown Police Chief James R. McGowan III said that unfortunately this type of scam occurs frequently, and he recommends that people hang up or delete the email. If in doubt about the legitimacy of the call, residents should contact their local police department, he suggested.
The Downingtown department can be reached at 610-269-0263, West Whiteland at 610-363-0200, and Uwchlan at 610-363-6947. Departments can also be contacted through the county police radio room at 610-692-5100.
