Penn State University Police are alerting the community about two scams most frequently targeting international students. University Police at University Park have received more than 26 reports of these scams in the last few weeks. The “IRS Scam” or “Tax Scam” and “Arrest Warrant Scam” has been reported in the Commonwealth by both nonstudent and student residents.
Victims are reporting they are being contacted by tax services indicating they need to pay overdue taxes over the phone or they will have their visa revoked, or “law enforcement” calls and advises the victim has a warrant out for their arrest or a loved one has been arrested and they must provide pre-paid credit or debit cards over the phone to pay fines or bail.
Scammers are obtaining personal directory information through various online outlets so victims are more willing to provide the requested information. Many victims feel the scam is legitimate since the caller knows their name, address and field of study. This is all information which can be obtained through the Penn State University Directory. You can block the release of your Penn State University Directory information by going to:
http://www.registrar.psu.edu/student_forms/withhold_dir_info.pdf
Complete the form and return it to the Registrar’s Office at your campus. Also try to limit the amount of information you provide through other online outlets and social media to reduce your risk of being targeted by a scam.
Scammers are also using “Caller ID spoofing,” in conjunction with these scams. “Caller ID spoofing” means a scammer can deliberately falsify the telephone number and/or name relayed as the Caller ID information to disguise the identity of the calling party. Scammers do this to make it appear as though they are calling from a government agency to include law enforcement so they appear legitimate and you will provide the requested funds. The scammers are very aggressive and persistent trying to pressure victims to act without validating information. Remain calm and insist on verifying information. If the caller persists, hang up the phone and record the date, time and phone number listed on your caller ID to provide to authorities.
You can verify tax information by calling the Internal Revenue Service at 1-800-829-1040.
According to the IRS, the agency will never:
- Call taxpayers about taxes they owe without first sending an official notice by mail.
- Demand that taxes be paid without giving the taxpayer the opportunity to question or appeal the amount allegedly owed.
- Require taxpayers to use a specific payment method for your taxes, such as a prepaid debit card.
- Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.
- Threaten to bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.
You can take the following steps to avoid becoming a victim of this or other phone scams:
- Never give out sensitive personal or financial information over the phone, especially if you receive an unsolicited telephone call from a stranger.
- Never wire money or purchase green dot-type prepaid cash cards in response to a telephone appeal, whether it is from a stranger or someone who claims to know you or an organization you may be familiar with.
- Never let emotion or fear overcome your common sense. If you get a call from someone claiming to be a government agency or law enforcement, slow down and verify everything. Don't let anyone rush you. You can always hang up and call the agency directly to verify.
- Never give out sensitive information to anyone on the phone unless you initiated the call to a company or agency that you are certain is legitimate.
For more information or to report any scam, contact Penn State University Police at your campus or your local police department as well as the Bureau of Consumer Protection at 1-800-441-2555.