Duluth Police Department Warn Of A New Fraud Alert Involving The Treasury Office

Once again we are receiving information from the Duluth Police Department warning of another scam (sigh!)  It's hard to know what's true and who you can trust now days.  The best thing you can do is keep abreast of the scams that are current in the area and keep your guard up!  Here's the latest:

It may be similar to other scams you've read or heard about, but the IRS says the scam is continuing so they are sending out a repeat warning.  The scammers call and falsely claim they are calling from the Treasury Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations; the Treasury Office of Legal Affairs or Emailing from the Office of the Secretary of The Treasury

They'll tell you that you've been award a grant or money and tell you that further information is needed before you can get be awarded the money.  Of course, what they're looking for is personal information.  The Treasury wants you to know they DO NOT have such a program. They also would never send you an e-mail making that same claim.

If you ever are asked for advance payment before you can get something you won, be wary.  There has even been instances where a caller will falsely claim he is representing the Internal Revenue Service. The ones that have been reported have been described as threatening or abusive actually telling victims they need to make immediate payment or be arrested.

Remember, be very careful when dealing with an email or individual claiming to be from a government agency and asking for money or personal information.