Gwinnett County 911 Center receives fake IRS scam call

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. - A phone scammer made the wrong call Wednesday afternoon as the Gwinnett County Police Department 911 Center received a call saying someone needed to call the IRS immediately.

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The woman who answered the phone played along, listening to the recorded message about owing back taxes to the IRS and called the number which was read. The scammer on the line listed a bunch of charges the dispatcher faced. Then, the woman threatened the dispatcher would be arrested if she didn't pay the more than $5,000 she owed them. The scammer connected her to a fake police officer, that's when the dispatcher let them know with whom they had messed.

"I want to let you know you've contacted the Gwinnett County Police Department and we understand this is a scam. Hello? Are you still there?" the dispatcher could be heard on the recorded line.

The department released the recorded conversation on their social media pages. Officers said they've gotten a lot of positive feedback about the recording.

"That's our ultimate goal is to have the community work with us in conjunction to rid our county of as much crime as possible and to let people know that they, the police department and the community in Gwinnett County, work together hand-in-hand and communicate with each other," said Cpl. Wilbert Rundles.

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Cpl. Rundles said he also wanted the word to get out to scammers that his department is on to them. And these calls will not be tolerated.

Rundles said if an officer does call you about something, they will give their name, badge number and even an official phone number to call and confirm their identity. He said it is never an issue to respectfully second guess an officer's identity and double check who you are giving your information to over the phone.

Police warn that these type of phone scams are not something new, and scammers are also claiming to be from the Gwinnett County Police Department in order to take people's money.

Anyone with any information about these scammers should call Gwinnett County Police at 770-513-5300 or contact Crime Stoppers at 404-577-8477.