The Wadena Police Department received several complaints from residents about attempted scams in the last several weeks and residents are reminded to be cautious.
"Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it is," the police department said.
The police department heard from several people who received calls and messages from someone impersonating the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
This is called an intimidation scam.
The Minnesota State Attorney General says scam artists may impersonate the IRS or Minnesota Department of Revenue to intimidate people into making payments on supposed back taxes. The scam artists often threaten people with arrest, lawsuits and imprisonment, and demand they make immediate and sometimes unconventional payments. These criminals will say anything to try to get people to send them money, and may call over and over in an attempt to wear down potential victims.
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For example, a Wadena resident reported a scam caller who said he was from the IRS said he would be stopping at his house in the morning and the money would have to be paid in cash.
In another example provided by the state, someone received a call from an individual who identified himself as an IRS agent and claimed she owed $30,000 in back taxes. The individual told her that he would send the police to arrest her and have her thrown in jail if she did not wire him $6,000 to settle the debt. When the person disputed the debt and hung up, the individual relentlessly called her for hours, leaving several threatening messages.
If someone receives an intimidating call it should be reported to the police and Attorney General's office.
In another local case, a woman received an email from what looked like her employer's email address requesting her to send money to an account in Florida. She spoke with her employer and discovered her boss did not send the email.
Yet another Wadena resident reported receiving a fraudulent check from someone in Florida.
In some cases, individuals are promised money if they provide their account number or if they wire money for an alleged transaction fee.
Do not provide personal information to these fraudsters.
To report a scam, contact the Minnesota Attorney General's Office at www.ag.state.mn.us/ or (800) 657-3787.
