Mamaroneck Mayor Warns Residents Of IRS Phone Scam

MAMARONECK, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Mamaroneck Mayor Norman Rosenblum is warning residents after several complained in recent weeks about someone calling, claiming to be from the IRS and demanding money.

The scammer tells victims they owe money to the IRS and that if they don't pay up they will be arrested and have their bank accounts seized, Rosenblum said.

"Under no circumstances should anyone ever give  out personal information over the phone; nor should they try and fix something that they may believe that is true by wiring money out," Rosenblum said.

The IRS would never request personal information via email or by phone, Rosenblum said.

First contact would usually be through a letter with a phone number you can contact to verify it's legitimate, WCBS 880's Kelly Waldron reported.

If you get such a call, Rosenblum says just hang up.