April 4, 2014 February 2014 Department of Homeland Security - NJPhone Scam: NJ ROIC IRS TELEPHONE SCAM ADVISORY New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness Issue Advisory Bulletin and Initiate Outreach Program - IRS and FTC Warn of Pervasive Telephone Scam -
WASHINGTON D.C. (February 12, 2014): The New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, in collaboration with Hindu American Seva Communities (HASC), Newark Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Intelligence Bureau of New Jersey conducted a conference call on February 11th 2014 at 1:00pm with several faith based partners, leaders and professionals of various law enforcements regarding the Telephone Scam targeting the South Asian community. "The objective here is to provide as much information as we have", said Director Dickson of OHSP. Additional community awareness events with the government agencies will be held on an ongoing basis, as needed. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have warned consumersof a sophisticated phone scam targeting taxpayers, including recent immigrants, throughout the country. 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 threatened with arrest, deportation or suspension of a business or driver’s license. In many cases, the caller becomes hostile and insulting. Per the FTC, the callers often pretend to be law enforcement or other government authorities, and will falsely threaten to arrest consumers if they do not agree to make a payment on a delinquent payday loan. The caller typically demands more than $300, and sometimes as much as $2,000. http://www.irs.gov/uac/Newsroom/IRS-Warns-of-Pervasive-Telephone-Scam For more information on how to report phishing scams involving the IRS, visit the IRSwebsite, www.IRS.gov and forward emails to phishing@irs.gov. To file a complaint to the FTC, call1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357).
Suspicious Activity in New Jersey: Any suspicious activity with a possible nexus to terrorism inNew Jersey should be reported immediately following existing protocols specific to respectivecounties. Activity can also be reported to CT Watch located at the ROIC by dialing 2-1-1 or(866) 4SAFENJ (866-472-3365), or by e-mailing Tips@NJHomelandSecurity.gov.
Contact Information: Any agency with information or comments/questions about this documentshould contact the NJ ROIC Intelligence & Analysis Threat Unit at (609) 963-6900, ext. 6243, ornjroicanalysis@gw.njsp.org.
As a strategic partner with Homeland Security, HASC is working with the agencies and Interfaith, Hindu, Jain and Sikh partners to increase awareness of the phone scam issue and to take corrective action. HASC is grateful for the quick response and proactive action ROIC and OHSP have taken to strengthen and secure our New American communities.
Media Contact: Dr.Ved Chaudhary ved@hinduamericanseva.org (732-853-2666) |
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