“Active Phone Scams”
The Flagler Beach Police Department is providing this awareness announcement in an effort to alert citizens in our community that there are two (2) active telephone “scams” currently operating in our area.
“Telephone scams target trusting individuals and those that perpetrate this crime have only one (1) motive; to take your hard earned money’” said Flagler Beach Police Captain Matt Doughney. “I sincerely hope that this announcement helps prevent someone, anyone, from becoming a victim (of these types of scams)”.
o The first scam involves a phone call from an individual representing themselves as an employee of Florida Power & Light (FP&L). The caller will advise that a recent power bill is overdue/has not been paid and that the power will be shut off immediately if payment is not received. The caller will advise that the account must be paid promptly through a pre-loaded debit card or wire transfer.
o The second scam involves a phone call from an individual representing themselves as an Investigator from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The caller states that based on an IRS investigation there’s a large tax lean associated with possible criminal charges and that the owed money to the IRS must be paid promptly through a pre-loaded debit card or wire transfer.
“The callers in these types of cases are very persuasive. They’re manipulative and they prey on people for a living.’ Doughney continued. ‘Please help us put them out of business by being alert and skeptical; which will in turn allow you to keep your money”.
Citizens in our community should stay vigilant and maintain a healthy skepticism should they receive telephone calls of this nature. If you do receive a call of this nature please don’t give out any personal information (date of birth, social security number, etc.) and please don’t purchase any pre-loaded credit or debit cards. When in doubt, be cautious, hang up, and contact local Law Enforcement for assistance.
For more information, please contact Captain Doughney at 386-517-2023. Additional information on IRS and FP&L scams can be found on the Flagler Beach Police Website Department’s website: https://www.fbpd.org/frequent-scams/