Edmonds police warn of phone scammers

EDMONDS — Local police again are warning people about phone scammers posing as the IRS.

The scammers target the elderly and threaten to arrest them unless they pay back taxes, Edmonds police Sgt. Mark Marsh said.

Two victims in Edmonds lost thousands of dollars, Marsh said. They were told to go to a local store and buy “Green Dot MoneyPak” cards, and then read the account numbers over the phone.

A similar scam was reported in Mukilteo a few months ago. Other scams targeting local seniors have involved callers posing as police and demanding money to squash arrest warrants.

Anyone who gets one of the calls should report it to 911, Marsh said.