WHEATFIELD – A Schultz Road woman was defrauded of more than $5,400 from someone claiming they were from the IRS and telling her she owned back taxes.
According to the Niagara County Sheriff Department on Tuesday an unknown male suspect coaxed the 39-year-old woman into purchasing 11 different reload cards from Home Depot. The woman said she felt something wasn’t right, but was too afraid of going to jail that she followed the man’s directions.
The victim said the man told her she owned back taxes and if she did not immediately pay her taxes she would go to jail.
The woman was sent to Home Depot, while she remained on the phone with the man, and told to purchase $2,188 worth of cards and provide him with the key codes. After she did this he told her she still owed more and was told to purchase $3,290 more worth of cards and provide the key codes, which she also did.
Deputies referred the case to the IRS Fraud Department and the Niagara County Sheriff criminal investigation bureau.