Lewis County residents experiencing high volume of scam phone calls, authorities say

The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office and Centralia and Chehalis police departments said in a news release Tuesday that they have received a high volume of reports regarding fraudulent collection calls.

Residents have told authorities that scammers calling from long-distance phone numbers are claiming to be IRS or warrant service company representatives, and requesting payment over the phone.

“In most reports, the callers are telling the victims that a warrant has been issued for their arrest or they are being sued,” the release says.

These calls are fake. The IRS “does not threaten taxpayers with lawsuits, imprisonment or other enforcement action,” its website says. The IRS also does not request payment over the phone.

The Sheriff’s Office and two police departments advise residents to be wary of these scams, and never give credit card information over the phone if the caller seems suspicious.

This story was originally published July 25, 2018 at 7:54 AM.