Buffalo Grove police warn against 'IRS' scam

Three Buffalo Grove residents reported recently that they had received threatening phone calls from people claiming to be with the IRS, and police have issued a warning to residents that such calls are a scam.

The callers threaten people with arrest if they don't pay fines and fees the caller says are owed. Police asked people to get the word out by talking to neighbors, friends and family. People should never give personal information to anyone they did not initiate contact with, they should contact police with questions and they should call 911 to report suspicious activity, police said in a news release. In the recent reports:

• A Buffalo Grove man received four phone calls around 4 p.m. March 19 from someone claiming to be with the IRS. The caller stated that he owed back taxes and needed to send them money to clear this up. The man recognized this was a scam and hung up.

• A Buffalo Grove resident received a phone call around 10 a.m. March 13 from a man claiming his name was Sean and that he worked for the IRS. The caller said the residents owned $4,000 and if payment was not made they would be arrested and would lose their jobs. They were instructed to purchase eight $500 Green Dot cards and provide the caller with the ID numbers for the cards.

• A Buffalo Grove man received a phone call around 9 p.m. March 18 from a woman claiming to be from the IRS. She told him she had an arrest warrant for him. The resident identified this as a scam and hung up.

Police also warned of a scam in which a person comes to the front door crying, asking for help finding a pet, which ran in their backyard. The objective is to get the homeowner to leave the door unlocked for others to enter and steal items. This is one form of the ruse burglary, in which various tactics are used to distract the homeowner while an accomplice takes valuables. The burglaries are common and often target senior citizens, police said.