Linden woman scammed out of $5,000

LINDEN A 44-year-old city woman was scammed out of $5,100 by fake IRS agents who contacted her on her cellphone and claimed she owed back taxes.

According to police, the woman said she started receiving the calls in the early morning hours Monday demanding she pay $5,100 in back taxes. The woman initially thought it was a hoax, but when she received more calls and the callers knew her full name, home address and cellphone number, she began to believe the calls were legitimate.

Police said the callers claimed to be IRS attorneys and law-enforcement agents. She was told an arrest warrant had been issued for her and she needed to wire money transfers to "clear up" the warrant. The woman was threatened with deportation.

The woman was instructed to buy six Money Grams totaling $5,100 and send them to different people in Illinois. Police said scammers know money orders under $1,000 generally will not raise suspicions by sales clerks. Police said the callers spoke English, some with an Asian accent.

The woman realized the calls were a scam and notified police around 6:20 p.m. Tuesday. She also called back the telephone numbers of the alleged IRS agents, but they were no longer active.

Staff Writer Suzanne Russell: 732-565-7335; srussell@mycentraljersey.com