Lucio Vasquez / Houston Public Media
The City of Houston Controller’s Office has received several reports of scam callers impersonating city officials.
The fraudulent callers demand immediate payments through wire transfers or by arranging in-person meetings after claiming that a person owes delinquent taxes or city fees, according to the controller’s office.
“We’re particularly concerned that these scammers are targeting older residents — those who may be more trusting or unfamiliar with this type of fraud,” the office said in a Friday statement to Houston Public Media. “In some cases, the caller claims the individual’s name appears in a ‘delinquent tax database,’ which is completely false.”
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The city controller’s office said it has received one to two inquiries per day from residents who said they’ve been contacted by scammers posing as staffers with the office. Officials said they believe the number of scam calls may be much higher because some go unreported.
The office does not call to demand payments or request personal or bank information. City officials are encouraging people to report the scam calls to 311. The controller’s office is working with city and law enforcement agencies to monitor the calls.
“Unfortunately, impersonation scams are not new,” the controller’s office said in its statement. “The recent increase in cases involving callers claiming to be from the Controller’s Office reflect a broader pattern of scams targeting residents by posing as city officials or agencies.”
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