Be Alert for Phone Scams in Ocean County

Beware of suspicious phone calls from people claiming to be Internal Revenue Service agents and representatives of the the Ocean County Sheriff's Department.

Scam artists are at it again, and Sheriff Michael G. Mastronardy emphasized the IRS will not call you if you owe them money. That notification is usually made my mail. He also pointed out the Sheriff's Office will not call an individual about an IRS payment or any other kind of payment.

The warning comes after a Point Pleasant woman contacted the Sheriff's Office after receiving a suspicious call on Monday afternoon, according to The Patch.

After an investigation, Ocean County Sheriff's Detective Sergeant Valerie Seiser found the victim was called by a man who gave his name as Eric Watson and stated he was from the IRS. The Patch reports the caller told the woman an audit of her Tax Returns from 2008-2013 determined she owed $4,985.26.

The caller allegedly instructed the woman on how to make a cash payment transfer and receive an IRS receipt.

A second call to the woman was from someone claiming to be Ocean County Undersheriff William Sommeling and threatened that she would be arrested if the payment wasn't made. Her caller ID indicated the number was from one of the Ocean County Sheriffs lines.

Mastronardy warned scam artists are becoming more sophisticated with technology that can make such calls seem legitimate.

Residents are urged to never provide personal information or make a payment over the phone.

Suspicious calls should be reported to your local police department or the Sheriff's Department at 732-929-2044.