Police warn of scammers posing as IRS officials

After a deluge of reports this week about a tax scam, Newport Beach police warned residents not to fall victim to callers posing as government officials.

Police said they received 150 calls on Tuesday alone about “aggressive scammers” claiming to be from the IRS.

“These calls are all fictitious and have no validity,” police wrote in an warning about the scam.

Police said residents do not need to report the scam to local law enforcement, but they did recommend reporting it to federal officials through the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration’s website.

More information about recognizing tax scams is available at treasury.gov/tigta or by calling (800) 336-4484.

— Jeremiah Dobruck

Twitter: @jeremiahdobruck