Above / Naperville Police warn public to beware of frauds and scams. Never provide personal or banking information over the phone.
The Naperville Police Department continues to receive complaints from residents who have received telephone calls from purported scammers. All residents are reminded to be wary of any caller demanding immediate payment or requesting personal or banking information over the phone.
There are currently a number of telephone scams being used by scammers. In some recent cases, callers threaten arrest, legal action or disconnection of utilities if the resident does not immediately provide some sort of financial information or payment.
The Naperville Police Department maintains a list of current scams to educate residents of common tactics used by scammers. This list can be found at www.naperville.il.us/fraudscam.
Residents are reminded to be very cautious of any caller demanding money or payment. Anyone receiving such calls should never make payment or provide the caller with any personal or banking information.
“It’s an unfortunate reality that there are individuals out there who will prey upon people’s emotions in order to take advantage of them,” said Commander Louis Cammiso. “We encourage everyone to be vigilant and protect themselves by asking a lot of questions and never releasing personal or banking information over the phone.”
IRS Telephone Scam (posted on City’s website)
Potential victims are told they are entitled to big refunds, or that they owe money that must be paid immediately to the IRS. When unsuccessful the first time, phone scammers often call back trying a new strategy. Immigrants are frequently targeted in this scam and are threatened with deportation, arrest, utility shut-off or having their driver’s licenses revoked. Callers may insult victims in an effort to scare them.
Remember: The IRS will always send taxpayers a written notification of any tax due via the U.S. mail. The IRS never asks for credit card, debit card or prepaid card information over the telephone. For more information or to report a scam, visit www.irs.gov and type “scam” in the search box.
Report scam calls at (630) 420-6666 or online
Receipt of such calls can be reported to the Naperville Police Department through the Online Reporting System, www.naperville.il.us/policeonlinereports, or by calling the department’s non-emergency number, (630) 420-6666.
Sign up to receive more information via email about the City of Naperville’s projects and initiatives at www.naperville.il.us/enews. To sign up for the City’s notification system Naper Notify and receive important emergency and community information via a phone call, text message, email or smart phone app, visit www.napernotify.com.
Submitted by Commander Louis Cammiso, Office of Professional Standards, Public Information Officer, for the Naperville Police Department.
