We want to advise all residents to be aware of reported telephone scams that have taken place in Medford and surrounding communities. People have been calling homes and posing as IRS agents, telling residents that they owe money to the IRS or that they are going to audited or even arrested. The resident is directed to transfer money to a Green Dot Money Pak or other similar card and then provide the number on the back of the card to the caller. The suspects then obtain the money, usually amounting to thousands of dollars. Please remember that the IRS does not place these types of calls requesting money in this manner. Also, the IRS will never ask for your Social Security number over the phone. When in doubt, hang up and call the IRS to verify the legitimacy of the call.
Another phone scam that has resurfaced is a person calling claiming to be a family member, usually a grandson or nephew. They claim to have been in an accident or in jail outside the country and need money to pay medical cost or to get out of jail.
Please do not fall for this scam. Never commit to send money to anyone based on a phone call. Another successful method to avoid being a victim is to ask the calling party other family member names. They will usually hang up at this point. If you receive a call of this nature, the caller will state “This is your grandson” and they wait for you to mention a name. Never volunteer a name for the caller to use.
We are trying to prevent you from becoming a victim. We have received several reports of these scams. There are probably many that have gone unreported. If you have any questions, please call the Medford Police Department at 781-395-1212.