Police warn over fake IRS phone calls

Police are advising residents to be on alert for fraudulent phone calls from a person claiming to represent the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

Petaluma police say hey’ve received more than 20 complaints from residents who said they’ve received the fake calls as of Tuesday.

Police said the callers would tell the victim that they owe back taxes and threaten them with criminal charges if they do not make an immediate payment.

In other instances, police said the callers would tell the victim that there is a warrant for their arrest and that if they do not make an immediate payment, the victim would be arrested.

Police said the calls are not legitimate, as the U.S. Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service do not make these types of phone calls.

The calls are part of a growing trend in attempts get money from victims, according to police. They advise people who receive these types of calls to immediately hang up.