On Monday, March 28th, Wayland officers received a report from a Wayland woman of a possible scam.  Upon arrival, officers met a woman that had just sent nearly $2,000 in two money orders to a man who had claimed to be with the Internal Revenue Service.

The woman told police that she had received a voicemail from an individual claiming to be an I.R.S. agent on her home telephone.  When she called the number back, the man identified himself as I.R.S. Agent David Gray and said that the woman owed the I.R.S. approximately $5,000 from the 2013 tax year.  The victim stated the man was hostile and spoke with an Indian accent.

The woman drove to a retail store in Framingham where she sent the funds through two money orders.

Wayland and other police departments have received numerous reports of this particular scam.  The public should be aware that the Internal Revenue Service would never require payment in such a manner.  Once the money is sent, it is impossible to retrieve.

The Internal Revenue Service is aware of these scams nationwide and has issued the following advice:

” The IRS usually first contacts people by mail – not by phone – about unpaid taxes. And the IRS won’t ask for payment using a pre-paid debit card or wire transfer. The agency also won’t ask for a credit card number over the phone.

If you get a call from someone claiming to be with the IRS asking for a payment, here’s what to do:

• If you owe federal taxes, or think you might owe taxes, hang up and call the IRS at 800-829-1040. IRS workers can help you with your payment questions.
• If you don’t owe taxes, call and report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 800-366-4484.
• You can also file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at FTC.gov. Add “IRS Telephone Scam” to the comments in your complaint.”

You can read more about tax scams on the IRS website, IRS.gov.

If any resident is unsure if they are being scammed, they should call the police department before sending any funds.