(Decatur, IL) — On Monday, Macon County State’s Attorney Jay Scott announced that Macon County residents are being heavily targeted again by the IRS telephone scam. The Elder Fraud Hotline was inundated Monday with reports of this call. These automated calls claim to be from the Internal Revenue Service and threaten to have the victims arrested unless a return phone call is made. While most calls were reported to have appeared on Caller ID as coming from an 815 area code, which is in northern Illinois, they likely originate outside the United States.
“This is an old scam that never really goes away,” Scott said. “But today it’s really hitting Macon County. I got this call myself this morning on my work phone.”
Residents are advised to hang up if one of these calls is received and to ignore any such answering machine messages demanding a return call. If you suspect a scam, please call the Elder Fraud Hotline at 217-615-7582. To learn more about scams visit the State’s Attorney’s website at www.sa-macon-il.us.