Collins, Casey Applaud Arrest of Four Suspects in IRS Impersonation Scams

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Bob Casey (D-PA), the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Special Committee on Aging, applauded the announcement by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Eastern District of Wisconsin that four individuals were arrested for their role in the IRS impersonation scam. The suspects are accused of participating in a scheme that calls victims and makes misrepresentations—such as those that trick people into sending money via wire transfers.

“Under our leadership, the Aging Committee has worked to help stop pervasive scams such as the IRS impersonation scam, which has consistently ranked as the top reported complaint to the Committee’s Fraud Hotline,” the senators said. “Every day, Americans fall victim to these unscrupulous scam artists who seek to rob seniors of their hard-earned savings. We applaud the legal actions by the Department of Justice, which should put all scammers on notice that they will be prosecuted.”

Senators Collins and Casey have championed efforts to expose scams by encouraging a robust response from federal law enforcement agencies and cautioning all Americans, particularly seniors, to be on the lookout. In November, the Federal Communications Commission heeded calls from Sens. Collins and Casey and finalized a rule that gives phone companies the authority to block illegal robocalls from certain types of phone numbers often used to conduct phone scams. The Aging Committee held two hearings on the topic of frauds and scams in 2017, one in February and one in October.