Mom Saves Surgoinsville Woman From Irs Scam

SURGOINSVILLE — An 18-year-old Surgoinsville woman was nearly taken in by an IRS arrest scam Wednesday, but her mother stopped her before any money was paid. Surgoinsville Police Department Chief James Hammonds told the Times News that the scammer’s caller ID number that appeared on the victim’s phone was the same as SPD’s Central Dispatch line. On Wednesday, a Surgoinsville woman told Hammonds her daughter received a call from a local number from a man who identified himself as an IRS agent. The man reportedly stated she owed money to the IRS and threatened to have her arrested by local police unless she paid him $1,000 through Visa gift cards. The victim then went to Kingsport and purchased the gift cards.