Don’t Fall For Tax Scams
“Your driver’s license has been suspended. You will be arrested. You will be deported. We are on our way to your home right now.” These are just a few of the many threats scammers have made against hundreds of Fairfax County residents over the past several weeks. Police warn the public not to fall prey to them and, instead, to call and report them.
These telephone scammers are described as demanding, aggressive, threatening and easily angered when callers don’t immediately agree to their demands of “overdue tax balances.” Some have also had heavy accents.
Typically, callers demand between $4,000-$6,000 in immediate payment of unpaid tax bills. These scams are sophisticated and involve false names, numbers and phony IRS badge numbers. Suspects often continue to call and harass the recipient. So police urge residents to:
Contact IRS at http://www.irs.gov/uac/Telephone-Assistance if they feel there’s any discrepancy with their tax bills or they believe they’re being scammed.
Be skeptical if someone asks/demands tax payments with a Green Dot Moneypack.
Report suspicious or harassing calls to police at http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/police/120413citizenreportingsystem.htm
Once money’s been wired/sent, it’s impossible to recover. More information on common scams may be found at http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/police/financialcrimes/commonscams.htm.
>Cox’s Spring Special Offers Nearly 600 Free Episodes
Cox Communications customers can enjoy an all-access free pass to some of the most popular TV shows with the opportunity to catch up on past episodes of shows they love, plus get exclusive On Demand sneak peeks, all in the Spring FreeView On Demand from now until April 20.
With nearly 600 episodes of over 50 popular shows from more than two dozen premium, broadcast and cable networks, the “Spring FreeView” delivers hundreds of entertainment options with episodes and recaps from this season’s hit shows, plus exclusive sneak peeks of new shows such as the return of Fox’s “24,” all On Demand.
Cox customers are able to search for live or On Demand content on more than 100 channels and watch on traditional TV or tablets with Contour. The Cox Spring FreeView curates the most recent seasons of popular shows like “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”, “The Millers”, “Game of Thrones”, “The Good Wife”, “True Detective”, “Banshee”, and more. The spring collection will be available for free with various programming rotating each week, until April 20.
For more information on the available entertainment choices, customers can visit www.cox.com/freeview or by selecting “Spring FreeView” on Channel 1 from the main menu.
Taste of the Town: April in Paris
Taste of the Town: April in Paris will be held on Thursday, April 24, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Worldgate Center in Herndon. The Herndon Foundation for the Cultural Arts invites everyone to this fundraising event to benefit ArtSpace Herndon. Enjoy an evening featuring entertainment reminiscent of Paris, delectable food from 20 local restaurants, a raffle, and auction. “We are expecting a big crowd,” says Larry Verbiest, Executive Director of ArtSpace Herndon. “We have many fine local restaurants participating and dozens of terrific items for auction. The event will be a big fundraiser for ArtSpace Herndon.”
Tickets are $15/person, $25/couple, $5 for children 4-12, children 3 and under free. Visit www.artspaceherndon.org to purchase tickets.
Worldgate Center is on the intersection of Elden Street, Centreville Road, and Worldgate Drive in Herndon. To volunteer, send an email to tasteofthetown@artspaceherndon.com. Visit www.artspaceherndon.org for information about donating a tax-deductable item to be auctioned at the Taste of the Town.