A spokesman for the Sweetwater County Sheriff's Department says the agency has been receiving widespread reports of con artists posing as IRS agents demanding the payment of supposedly delinquent taxes.

The scam typically includes phone calls demanding immediate payment of bogus tax bills through credit or debit cards, or a wire transfer. The callers use fake names and may provide a phony IRS badge number. In some cases they may even know the last four digits of the intended victim's Social Security number.

IRS spokeswoman Karen Connelly saysthe agency does not initiate contact through phone calls or emails, but rather through regular mail. She urges anyone wanting legitimate tax information to call 1-800-829-1040.

More From 101.9 KING-FM