Dear Oregon State Students, Faculty and Staff,
It has come to our attention that a number of OSU students continue to be the targets of a phone scam. The students who have received these calls are told that they owe taxes to the Internal Revenue Service and must pay immediately or face consequences. We have learned that other universities have reported the same scam, as well. We suspect that callers may use printed student phone directories to make calls.
The scam begins when students receive a call that, according to their caller ID, is the Corvallis Police Department. The numbers that have been called from/referenced for call back are: (703) 565-2205 and (541) 766-6924, the latter of which is the direct line to Corvallis Dispatch.
Corvallis PD is aware of this scam and the inappropriate use of their phone number. The agency wants to ensure that OSU students or any others who may be the target of such a scam know that law enforcement:
Does not call citizens seeking payment for tax bills – either state or federal taxes. Nor does any other legitimate law enforcement agency.
Does not call individuals and demand money from citizens under any circumstances
Additionally, the Department of Public Safety warns that individuals claiming to collect debt may try to instill fear in potential victims to persuade them to forward money.
If you receive such a call, use the link below to report the call to the Oregon Department of Justice:
https://justice.oregon.gov/consumercomplaints/
If you actually become a victim of such a scam, please report the incident as soon as possible to your local law enforcement agency such as your police department or county sheriff’s office. If you have further questions, please contact the OSU Department of Public Safety and OSU-Corvallis office of OSP by calling 541-737-3010.
Please share this important information with others you know to help ensure that as many people as possible are protected from illegal telephone fraud.
************************************
David M. Blake PhD, SPHR
Assistant Vice President for Human Resources
Oregon State University
Denson Chatfield Jr
Director of Public Safety
Oregon State University