LONG BEACH, Miss. (WLOX) — On Tuesday, the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office shared details of an incident that involved the intervention of an IRS scam targeting elderly victims.
An elderly woman entered Premier Postal in Long Beach, trying to mail a package that wasn’t packed correctly. While talking with the woman, the clerk noticed a man with a strong foreign accent on the phone, directing the woman on shipping procedures. The clerk was helping the woman properly secure the package when she discovered it held $25,000.
The clerk became concerned when the woman couldn’t provide information about the person receiving the money or explain the high cost of the requested expedited shipping. The woman eventually left the business, leaving the package to be shipped.
Because of recent bulletins published by the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office about scams that demand payment for fraudulent legal and tax obligations, the clerk believed the elderly woman was a victim of one of those scams. She reported the incident to the sheriff’s office, which decided to look into the case.
Investigators found the elderly woman at her home, where they spoke to her and another relative. They learned the payment was anticipated because the victim believed it to be an IRS payment on outstanding taxes. Investigators identified it as a fraudulent claim and learned it was a scam targeting elderly and other vulnerable victims that demands an immediate cash payment to avoid arrest and additional penalties. The elderly woman had previously made payments to this scam in excess of $30,000.
The Department of Homeland Security assisted in the investigation, and a joint investigation is ongoing.
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