The Sammamish Police Department (SPD) wants residents to be aware of scammers pretending to be federal officials to fleece taxpayers of thousands of dollars.

For the past year, scammers have been targeting recent immigrants across the country, including Sammamish, pretending to be Internal Revenue Service agents, telling victims that they owed money, SPD Sgt. Tony Garza said.

Scammers would tell victims they had to immediately pay via wire transfer or pre-loaded debit card, else they would face arrest, deportation or the suspension of driver’s or business licenses, according to a statement made by the IRS. Callers will often become hostile and threatening with victims over the phone in an attempt to force a payment.

Scammers also will often spoof the IRS toll-free number on caller ID, using fake names and IRS badge numbers, and may even be able to give the victim the last four digits of their Social Security numbers, IRS Acting Commissioner Danny Werfel said in a statement.

Recently, residents of Sammamish have been targeted outside of the immigrant communities, Garza said, with calls coming in to SPD “every day.” One victim in Sammamish, who SPD declined to identify, was scammed out of nearly $20,000.

Victims who call SPD to report they have been scammed will often have to look for help elsewhere.

“There is no way for us to follow up on it,” Garza said, as the calls were traced back to a New York call center.

Instead, Garza urged anyone who needs to report this type of crime to the IRS. Victims who may owe or think they owe taxes can call the IRS at 1-800-829-1040. Victims who do not owe taxes can call the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 1-800-366-4484.

Victims also can file a complaint online with the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov under “Other – Imposter Scams.” When filing an online complaint, use the words “IRS Telephone Scam” in the notes section.