Crime & Safety

Sheriff's Office: Beware of New Telephone Scam

The scam has been reported multiple times in the last week.

The Middlesex Sheriff’s Office is warning residents of a new telephone scam.

In the scam, a caller fraudulently claims to be a Middlesex Deputy Sheriff collecting money owed to the Internal Revenue Service, according to the sheriff’s office.

Making the call more believable, the caller also provides two call back numbers to the intended victims, including legitimate numbers to the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office (781-960-2800) and the IRS telephone assistance line (1-800-82901040).

Find out what's happening in Wellesleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The sheriff’s office has been notified of three similar incidents in the last week. In two, the scammer threatened arrest if the money owed to the IRS was not paid immediately by credit card.

“Middlesex Sheriff’s Deputies will never demand money over the phone and will never threaten arrest in such a manner,” Middlesex Sheriff Peter Koutoujian said.

Find out what's happening in Wellesleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The sheriff’s office is advising anyone who receives similar calls to not give any personal information out over the phone and to report the calls to their local police department.

Calls should also be reported to the sheriff’s office at 978-932-3220, and a complaint should be filed online at the Federal Trade Commission website, www.ftc.gov, according to the sheriff’s office.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.