Virginia State Police are warning residents of an ongoing phone scam in which the caller says he is calling from the IRS and demands payment by verbally threatening and intimidating the individual. In addition, the caller ID number used by this scam is a legitimate Virginia State Police Area Office phone number. State police has received numerous calls concerning this scam within the past few days.

In each case, the caller has a “thick foreign accent” and identifies him/herself as working for the IRS. The scammer also has personal information about the individual being called – information that can be commonly found by searching the Internet. If the individual refuses to pay, then the fake IRS caller becomes very agitated and impatient, and begins threatening the individual with imprisonment or other severe punishment if the person does not promise to provide payment.

Also adding confusion and concern for those being targeted by the fake IRS caller is the use of a l...