BELLE CHASSE - Plaquemines Parish Sheriff’s Office detectives warned residents of the area about an ongoing IRS telephone scam that was used on at least one parish citizen this week.

A Belle Chasse resident reported they received two automated phone calls Tuesday afternoon within a three hour period on her cell phone. The recording stated that the IRS was going to file a lawsuit against them, and that they should call telephone number (315) 557-6467 to speak with an IRS representative about the matter.

Detectives said they found the telephone number to be a “spoofed” line, which means that the caller deliberately falsified the telephone number and/or relayed on the Caller ID to disguise the identity of the calling party. Investigators found the number was subscribed to an individual from upstate New York that didn’t exist. The calls are believed to be originating from scammers overseas, according to PPSO detectives.

Investigators found that citizens in Texas have also reported receiving the same call Tuesday from the same telephone number. There have been over 10 complaints filed about the number and associated IRS scam call over the past three months.

Detectives ask residents not to answer the phone or return the call if they receive a similar call. They also said residents should report the incident to the real IRS by calling (800) 366-4484 or by filing an online complaint at FTC.gov. Local residents can call the Plaquemines Parish Sheriff’s Office at (504) 564-2525.

PPSO’s Sheriff Lonnie Greco reminded residents that the IRS will never:

-Call about taxes owed without first having mailed you a bill or angrily demand immediate payment over the phone.
-Threaten to bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.
-Demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe.
-Require you to use a specific payment method for your taxes, such as a prepaid debit card.
-Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.