Police Chief's Corner - Newsletter March 2020
City of Bunnell Represents at Polar Plunge
Saturday March 7, 2020 was pretty chilly for the annual Polar Plunge. The City of Bunnell was well represented. Mayor Robinson, City Manager Jackson, Chief Foster, Sgt. Mortimer, Sgt. Guida, and Officers Wichman took part in the event to raise funds for the Special Olympics.
Bears on Patrol
Bunnell Police Department sends a Thank you to the Kiwanis Club of Flagler County for their kind donation of the stuffed "BEARS ON PATROL" for children in need of comfort.
My police officers and I will keep the bears in our patrol vehicles ready to comfort small children who have been traumatized, victimized, or even suffer an illness so that we may bring a smile to their faces.
Tax Scams/Consumer Alerts from IRS
Attention City of Bunnell residents and business owners; don't become a victim to tax scams. Remember … if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Tax Payers and Tax Professionals
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has released an alert warning of phishing email scams targeting last-minute tax filers. The alert describes common features of these cyber crimes and includes recommendations to protect against them: strengthen passwords, recognize phishing attempts, and forward suspicious emails to phishing@irs.gov. Please visit these IRS resources as well for further valuable information.
IRS Alert
Avoiding Social Engineering and Phishing Attacks
IRS-Impersonation Telephone Scam
An aggressive and sophisticated phone scam targeting taxpayers, including recent immigrants, has been making the rounds throughout the country. Callers claim to be employees of the IRS, but are not. These con artists can sound convincing when they call. They use fake names and bogus IRS identification badge numbers. They may know a lot about their targets, and they usually alter the caller ID to make it look like the IRS is calling.
Victims are told they owe money to the IRS and it must be paid promptly through a pre-loaded debit card or wire transfer. If the victim refuses to cooperate, they are then threatened with arrest, deportation or suspension of a business or driver’s license. In many cases, the caller becomes hostile and insulting.
Or, victims may be told they have a refund due to try to trick them into sharing private information.
If the phone isn't answered, the scammers often leave an “urgent” callback request.
Note that the IRS will never: 1) call to demand immediate payment, nor will the agency call about taxes owed without first having mailed you a bill; 2) demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe; 3) require you to use a specific payment method for your taxes, such as a prepaid debit card; 4) ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone; or 5) threaten to bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.
E-mail, Phishing and Malware Schemes
These emails are designed to trick taxpayers into thinking these are official communications from the IRS or others in the tax industry, including tax software companies. The phishing schemes can ask taxpayers about a wide range of topics. E-mails can seek information related to refunds, filing status, confirming personal information, ordering transcripts and verifying PIN information.
Variations of these scams can be seen via text messages, and the communications are being reported in every section of the country.
When people click on these email links, they are taken to sites designed to imitate an official-looking website, such as IRS.gov. The sites ask for Social Security numbers and other personal information, which could be used to help file false tax returns. The sites also may carry malware, which can infect people's computers and allow criminals to access your files or track your keystrokes to gain information.