Editor:

We are members of the Mountain Community Patrol, Idyllwild, a group of senior volunteers, ranging in age from 65 through 81-plus, and volunteer for the Riverside County Sheriff’s office in Hemet.

On Friday afternoon, Feb. 13, we received a telephone call on our home phone from a man claiming to be with the IRS in Washington, D.C. He insisted we owed income tax from a prior year and asked for our VISA number so it could be paid.

When we refused and began questioning him, he became verbally abusive and threatening, and said the police would be at our door in about two hours to arrest us. We tried to question him further, but he kept threatening us and said our call was being recorded.

We responded that, as volunteers for our county sheriff’s office, we are sure the officers would be very interested in talking with him. He hung up.

My husband called and spoke with an Officer Garcia at the sheriff’s office to report the call. She confirmed that it was definitely a scam being tried in many states, and she suggested we contact the Town Crier to let other people be aware.

IRS has several online sites explaining the scam and how to report it to them. You can also contact the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) at 1-800-366-4484 or complete an online complaint form at www.tigta.gov.

Tom and Marlene Pierce
MCP members
Idyllwild