On Aug. 24, an area resident reported a phone fraud to the Sequim Police Department, an apparent scam with callers attempting to get money while posing as IRS representatives.

The resident received a telephone call from a person stating they were from the IRS and back taxes were owed, Sequim Police said last week, and a second call to the victim stated the Sequim Police were involved in the investigation — which is not true, police officials noted.

The caller ID indicated the call was coming from the Sequim Police Department business line, but the phone number had been cloned so it appeared legitimate.

The caller asked the victim to pay back taxes in the form of gift cards. Sequim Police note this is not a reasonable form of restitution payment to the federal government.

This is a common scam known as “phishing” where the suspect calls citizens attempting to extort money from them, Sequim Police representatives said last week. They may clone different phone numbers, including police department phone numbers, so it appears it is legitimate. It is extremely difficult to track the caller, who likely is calling from out of the area or from another country.

Similar types of scams have been reported several other times in Clallam County and Port Townsend earlier this year.

The Sequim Police Department does not investigate federal tax fraud, so if you suspect the call is a scam, the best course of action is to hang up, law enforcement officials said.

The IRS offers these tips to avoiding such scam attempts. If you receive a phone call from someone claiming to be from the IRS but you suspect they are not an IRS employee:

1. Record the employee’s name, badge number, call back number and caller ID if available.

2. Call 1-800-366-4484 to determine if the caller is an IRS employee with a legitimate need to contact you.

3. If the person calling you is an IRS employee, call them back.

4. If not, report the incident to the IRS by email at phishing@irs.gov (Subject: ‘IRS Phone Scam’).

IRS warns of Hurricane Harvey scams

The Internal Revenue Service last week issued a warning about possible fake charity scams emerging due to Hurricane Harvey and encouraged taxpayers to seek out recognized charitable groups for their donations.

“While there has been an enormous wave of support across the country for the victims of Hurricane Harvey, people should be aware of criminals who look to take advantage of this generosity by impersonating charities to get money or private information from well-meaning taxpayers,” IRS representatives said in a press release. “Such fraudulent schemes may involve contact by telephone, social media email or in-person solicitations.”

Taxpayers suspecting fraud by email should visit IRS.gov and search for the keywords “Report Phishing.” More information about tax scams and schemes may be found at IRS.gov using the keywords “scams and schemes.”

The IRS cautions people wishing to make disaster-related charitable donations to avoid scam artists by following these tips:

• Be sure to donate to recognized charities.

• Be wary of charities with names that are similar to familiar or nationally known organizations. Some phony charities use names or websites that sound or look like those of respected, legitimate organizations. The IRS website at IRS.gov has a search feature, Exempt Organizations Select Check, through which people may find qualified charities; donations to these charities may be tax-deductible.

• Don’t give out personal financial information — such as Social Security numbers or credit card and bank account numbers and passwords — to anyone who solicits a contribution. Scam artists may use this information to steal a donor’s identity and money.

• Never give or send cash. For security and tax record purposes, contribute by check or credit card or another way that provides documentation of the donation.

• Consult IRS Publication 526, Charitable Contributions, available on IRS.gov. This free booklet describes the tax rules that apply to making legitimate tax-deductible donations. Among other things, it provides complete details on what records to keep.