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New Phone Scam Targets
Taxpayers
The Peoria Police
Department is warning the public about a new phone scam which
attempts to trick taxpayers into divulging bank account information.
The scam begins when the caller identifies with a company called
“U.S. Grants.” The caller claims that the State of Arizona is
rewarding those who paid their taxes on time with “grants” of up to
$8,000. The caller emphasizes that “U.S. Grants” is not a government
agency, but a company contracted to distribute the money by
depositing it in the victim’s checking account.
The caller appears to have a heavy East Indian accent and speaks
with poor, broken English. This scam appears to be a “boiler room”
type of operation where others can be heard in the background making
calls and reading from a similar “script.”
This serves as a good reminder to beware of any unexpected call
requesting information. It is never a good idea to divulge to
personal or financial information someone you don’t know, regardless
of how tempting the “grant” or “reward.”
Anyone who receives a suspicious call of this nature is urged to
contact authorities.
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