The Rehoboth Police Department would like to warn residents of an increase in telephone based scams.  Police have received numerous reports from residents of various phone related scams occurring in Town in recent weeks. Several residents have reported being contacted by individuals claiming to be employees of the IRS. Victims are told they owe money to the IRS and it must be paid promptly through a pre-loaded debit card or wire transfer. If the victim refuses to cooperate, they are then threatened with arrest, deportation or suspension of a business or driver’s license. In many cases, the caller becomes hostile and insulting. These callers can sound convincing when they call. They use fake names and bogus IRS identification badge numbers. They may know a lot about their targets, and they usually alter the caller ID to make it look like the IRS is calling. THIS IS A SCAM and no money or information should be provided to the caller.

This is one example of a common phone scam affecting Rehoboth Residents and citizens throughout the County.  Numerous similar type scams exist and Residents should use caution and report any suspicious activity to the police department.

Note that the IRS will never: 1) call to demand immediate payment, nor will the agency call about taxes owed without first having mailed you a bill; 2) demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe; 3) require you to use a specific payment method for your taxes, such as a prepaid debit card; 4) ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone; or 5) threaten to bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.