Old IRS scam making comeback in Utah


3 photos
Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

SALT LAKE CITY — An old scam is picking up steam in Utah, and many people are complaining of calls claiming to be from the IRS or another government agency.

Heather Erickson is relieved to be home with her three children. One week ago, several phone calls led her to believe she wouldn't be.

"I thought it was real,” she said. “I thought I was going to jail.”

The first call came to her home phone — she didn't answer — the second, to her cell.

Erickson said the man on the line told her he was with the National Treasury Department, and she was being investigated for tax fraud.

"He kept asking for my permission to send out the law enforcement officers and that they were going to detain me," she said.

According to Erickson, the caller claimed she owed $4,000 and that the agency had been tracking her for years. However, he never asked Heather for her personal information.

"I was definitely crying. I had mascara all down my face," she said.

Then while she was still on the phone, she got another call.

"The part that was so nerve-wracking was when 911 started calling," Erickson said.

Seeing 911 on her phone, Erickson said she panicked and accidentally hung up, but the man called back.

"He wasn’t backing down," she said.

She hung up again and called 911. That's when dispatchers told her it was a scam.

"No federal, state or local agency will use this tactic," said Salt Lake City Po detective Cody Lougy.

Lougy said it's tough to track down scammers because they use a program to change the number you see on caller ID. He added that it’s best to just hang up.

Erickson offers her advice to others who may find themselves in a similar situation.

"Maybe have a good sense of humor, because I didn't ... I was a mess. I thought for sure I was being hauled off to prison."

Photos

Related stories

Most recent Utah stories

Related topics

Utah
Devon Dolan

    STAY IN THE KNOW

    Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
    By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

    KSL Weather Forecast