Stafford, VA. The Stafford County Sheriff’s Office would like to alert the public to a scam involving individuals who pose as employees with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in an attempt to steal money and/or gain access to personal information.

The Sheriff’s Office has recently received several reports from residents who believe they may be victims of an IRS identity theft scam.

In one case, the victim received a letter that appeared to be from the IRS. It stated that someone else had filed the victim’s taxes using his social security number. The victim suspected identity theft and contacted the Sheriff’s Office. Upon inspection, Stafford detectives determined the letter was fraudulent.

Potential warning signs of a scam include being contacted by the IRS by phone or email. Typically, the IRS initiates contact through regular mail delivered by the United States Postal Service. In addition, the IRS will not require a specific type of payment method, such as a prepaid debit card or wire transfer.

Anyone who receives a suspicious call, email or letter from the IRS is asked to contact the IRS directly and immediately report their suspicions to the Sheriff’s Office. Victims are also encouraged to go to identitytheft.gov to file a report and get a recovery plan.