Nathan Alsheh says when his phone rang, he thought it was his daughter. But it was a woman claiming to be with the IRS.
"She said they see that I have a problem with my taxes," he said.
He was told if he didn't pay up, he could end up in jail. "They said that they had a warrant against me."
By the end of the day, he says he'd been scammed out of almost six thousand dollars. "Unfortunately it cost me money to learn this lesson."
It's a scenario the Delray Beach Police Department says happens quite often. Detective Kim Mead specializes in economic crimes. She says you should never give out personal information over the phone.
"You can contact the IRS directly and find out if you really do owe them money."
She says phone scammers will often call the same victim more than once.
"Once they get money from a victim, they will try again and again until they get more money," explained Mead.
Every time, they'll say exactly how they want to be paid. "Generally they are requesting green dot cards, Western Union, moneygrams, or gift cards." And the holiday season is prime time. "Right around tax season, is when we see the IRS scams."
Alsheh says he's learned a valuable lesson. "My recommendation is anytime that you start suspecting that the call is scam, just hang up, don't talk, don't give them any information."