Vermont State Attorney General T.J. Donovan on Thursday warned residents of a tax collection scam involving fake Internal Revenue Service callers.
His office says scams in general increased by 25 percent last year and the IRS scam is by far the most common, with more than 4,000 complaints last year.
In the scam, a caller will say back taxes or outstanding payments are due to the government. Typically the caller will say he or she is from the IRS or U.S. Treasury and Legal Affairs.
Scams involving tech support, debt collection and online listings aren't as common but were all reported hundreds of times last year. Donovan says people who are targeted should call the Consumer Assistance Program or, if back taxes are actually owed, the IRS.
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