LYNN — Two women were victims of an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) phone scam that involved iTunes gift cards over the past week.
One of the women received a call from someone saying she owed back taxes totaling about $1,500 and would be arrested if she didn’t pay up. The caller asked the woman to get a $450 iTunes gift card and call back with the number, police said.
The second victim, an 85-year-old woman, also received a call from a man claiming she owed the IRS money. That woman made four trips to convenience stores and bought iTunes gift cards totaling $4,500, police said.
Lynn police warn that the IRS will not contact people by phone, email, text, or social media and ask for personal or financial information. They will also not call and demand immediate payment and not require that bills be paid in a certain way, such as with a prepaid debit card or a gift card.
