
Chief Alex Valdespino said his officers are receiving reports from residents who say the caller identifies himself or herself as working for the Internal Revenue Service or the Social Security Administration, and requests personal identification information.
The callers then issue threats of arrest, saying either a warrant will be issued for non-compliance or law enforcement officers will be sent to arrest the victim if he or she does not comply with their requests.
Valdespino said representatives from the IRS or Social Security Administration do not routinely call households, and never ask for personal identifiers or threaten arrest in this manner.
He urged residents to hang up, and to never give callers personal information that can be used to access bank accounts or open lines of credit.
Anyone who may have given personal information such as social security number, date of birth, driver’s license number, or account numbers should monitor his or her accounts to make certain they are not being used or that new accounts are not being opened without authorization.