Sheriff’s Office warns of IRS phone scam

Residents across Beaufort County have reported telephone scams from callers claiming to be Internal Revenue Service agents in recent days, the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday.

“These cowards target areas of the U.S. having large retirement/senior populations in hopes of intimidating those who may be vulnerable,” the Sheriff’s Office wrote in a news release.

The scammers are usually from foreign countries and may threaten jail time and civil penalties if their intended victims do not send money promptly, the release said.

The IRS only corresponds through official or certified mail and never by email or telephone, the release said.

If contacted by phone, the Sheriff’s Office advised residents hang up.

“As a rule of thumb, if it seems to good to be true, it probably is,” the release said.

The IRS scam is only one of many circulating in Beaufort County.

The Sheriff’s Office warns of e-mails advising recipients that they have been named the beneficiary of a large inheritance from a distant relative in a foreign country. The scammer then requests the recipient respond for additional details and to claim the money so they can obtain financial information.

For more information about scams and safety tips for residents, visit the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s website at www.fbi.gov/scams-safety/e-scams.

This story was originally published May 24, 2016 at 5:35 PM with the headline "Sheriff’s Office warns of IRS phone scam."