A phone scam going around had one Goose Creek lady worried that it might be real.
She told News 2 that she thought it was a scam, but then she checked the phone number on caller ID, and it was the actual number for the Goose Creek Police Department.
Stephanie Stupalski said, “They actually gave me a call on two different numbers and they left me a voicemail saying that the IRS was opening an investigation for me.”
They called repeatedly, claiming she owed the IRS nearly $3,000, “that I was under investigation for fraud and I was facing prison time or extra fines.”
While she felt like it was a scam, “I was panicking. I actually got transferred. Apparently I was a little too hostile for the first person so they transferred me over to the supervisor.”
What became more scary was “they never asked about payments. they asked if I had cash on me.”
She hung up. Then someone else called right back “and posed as an officer and told me that they were the Goose Creek Police Department and they were officer so and so and they were coming to get me.”
She looked at the number on her phone. It was an 843 number this time. “I googled the number they were calling me from because it was an 843 number. It was the Goose Creek Police Department. I panicked. I was like, ‘I messed up. I did something wrong.'”
Fortunately, she did not send any money. She called the Goose Creek Police Department, and they said it was a scam. Goose Creek PIO Frank
Johnson released a statement, “Personal information would never be requested over the phone from a legitimate government organization… Legitimate government business is not conducted over the phone, especially business involving payments.”
Stephanie has some advice too. “Do not answer their calls if they call back. Nobody, nobody is coming to get you. The IRS is not going to call call you and warn you about a bench warrant. I promise.”
You might wonder how can it looks like the Goose Creek Police Department is calling you? There are computer programs scammers can use that allow them to put any number they would like on your caller ID.
