DARLINGTON, SC (WBTW) – Law enforcement all over the area is warning residents after more and more over-the-phone scams.
The Darlington County Sheriff’s Office says the caller claims to be with the IRS, utility company or a local jail and states why you need to send them money.
Recently, the sheriff’s office posted a warning on their Facebook page.
“These people make a living off of talking fast and talking slick and talking people into things. That’s their business is to con people: said Sheriff Wayne Byrd.
Byrd tells News13 only 4 or 5 people have fallen victim to these phone scams, but there have been many more who have called in concern.”I’ve had the IRS call twice at my house, so they are not discriminating. They are trying any and everybody,” he stated.
The majority of people are very trusting, very honest and they want to do what’s right and they want to be on the right side of things,” Byrd further explained.
The State Department of Consumer Affairs says they’ve been hit with an influx of calls regarding this same scam.
According to the Internal Revenue Service, since October 2013 more than 736,000 people nationally have reported being contacted by scammers, resulting in $23 million in losses.
“Steadily hit you with what you did and what you got to do to correct it. Law enforcement, the IRS, the power company…we don’t do business that way,” stated Byrd.
The best advice is to never give out your personal information over the phone and simply just hang-up.
