CHEEKTOWAGA — The Cheektowaga Police are once again warning the public not to fall for various phone scams occurring throughout the Western New York area — particularly one making the rounds right now concerning the IRS.
Recently an elderly resident of Cheektowaga lost $3,200 to a scammer claiming to be from the Internal Revenue Service. The caller told the victim that he owed the money to the IRS and that a warrant was issued for his arrest. He was told to purchase iTunes gift cards and then call the suspect back afterwards. When the victim called back the suspect asked for the numbers on the gift cards. After the victim supplied the numbers the call was ended.
This type of scam has been reported several times in the past but people continue to fall victim to it. The IRS does not handle business over the phone and they do not take iTunes gift cards as cash. If anyone receives a similar call they are advised to hang up and not return any such calls. If someone is unsure if the call is legitimate they can call CPD at 716-686-3510 or their local police department for advice.
