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The phone calls have started popping up for Lunenburg County residents. Over the last few weeks, residents have been contacted by people pretending to be the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Each time. they claim the resident owes back taxes and give a variety of ways for them to pay. To be clear, this is a scam. 

It’s tax time and so that means con artists will come up with a variety of ways to try and get your money. Another version of the scam involves sending text messages, again allegedly from the IRS. Unlike the calls demanding money, this version flips the script. 

The text claims to have a tax rebate or refund payment. These text messages usually have some sort of link to click to claim the refund. Folks are warned not to click this link as this puts them at risk of having information stolen or malware installed into their phone unknowingly. It’s best not to click any links or give any personal information unless it is from a trusted and confirmed source. 

The Lunenburg County Sheriff’s Office gets calls from residents about many types of scams as they cycle through. Sheriff Townsend offers a couple tips to stay safe whether it is an IRS text scam or the next one that pops up. 

Remember that the IRS will never use text messages or emails to make contact for the first time. The first contact is always by an official letter in the mail. There are certain circumstances that the IRS will use phone calls or in-person visits however this will be due to an overdue tax bill, an unfiled tax return or someone that has not made an employment tax deposit. When it comes to a tax refund, text messages are not the typical IRS way. 

When in doubt, folks can also check their status on the official IRS website to see if the unexpected message is from the IRS or holds any truth. Anyone on the receiving end of these messages are encouraged to send screenshots to phishing@irs.gov.

And if you’ve got any concerns, you can call the sheriff’s office at 434-696-4452.