PROVIDENCE – The Rhode Island Tax Administrator Neena S. Savage issued a warning Tuesday to Ocean State residents about scam phone calls claiming to originate from the Rhode Island Division of Taxation.
“Taxpayers – including individuals and businesses – need to be aware that this sort of phone call is a scam,” said Savage. “The caller, under false pretenses, probably wants to gain access to your home or your office to obtain personal information, money, or both.”
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The call, as described in the Administrator’s news release, came from an individual claiming to be a representative of the Division of Taxation which the caller said had received multiple complaints about the taxpayer receiving the message. The taxpayer was told that complaints about the operation of a small business in their home would cause the Division to conduct an audit and full investigation into the matter.
Similar scams have been reported this summer by the IRS, the release noted, as well as by tax agencies in the states of Alabama, Michigan and Washington.
“We do not conduct audits or investigations in this manner,” Savage said. “If you receive this sort of call, don’t provide any personal information.”
“Write down the caller’s name and contact information. Then hang up and call law enforcement as well as the appropriate tax agency to let them know what happened,” Savage said.
Kyle Borowski is a PBN contributing writer.
