03/21/17 – 2:44 P.M.

The Putnam County Sheriff’s office wants you to be aware of scams this tax season. In a release, the department says that telephone scams increase throughout the country during this time of year. They often leave an urgent callback request and say that they have notified the police department or sheriff’s office of a warrant for your arrest. This is not the case.

Here are the five tell-tale signs of a scam according to the Sheriff’s Office. The IRS will never:

1. Call to demand immediate payment, nor will they call you about taxes owed without mailing you the bill first.
2. Demand payment without giving you a time to question or appeal what they say you owe.
3. Require you to use a specific payment method for your taxes such as prepaid debit cards or gift cards.
4. Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone
5. Threaten to bring in local law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.

You can report suspicious phone calls to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 1-800-366-484 or on TIGTA.gov. You can call your local Police or Sheriff’s Department