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The man received a call from a number with a 202 area code, which is Washington, D.C, on Tuesday, April 15. The caller claimed to be an officer with the IRS and told the man that he owed $4,000. He was told to go to CVS and have the money deposited on a Green Dot pre-paid debit card.
The man hung up and received another call from a number matching the number to the Darien Police Department. The caller told the man that there was a warrant out for his arrest for the tax issue. The man hung up and went to the Darien Police Department and reported the incident.
A detective called the first number and spoke to a man with a Middle Eastern accent, police said. The detective claimed to be an attorney for the intended victim. The man on the other end of the line asked for his bar numbers and identification. The man then began using profanity and hung up, police said.
Darien police sent out a warning last week, reminding residents to be wary of callers claiming to be from the IRS. The actual IRS will often make first contact by mail, and will never ask for credit card information or request payment via a pre-paid debit card or wire transfer. Police say the scammers are sometimes able to spoof the IRS or police phone numbers on caller ID to make it appear that the IRS or police are calling.
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