Sioux Falls Man Scammed Out Of Nearly $20,000 In Gift Cards

Police say a Sioux Falls man was scammed out of nearly $20,000 by a caller claiming to be from the IRS.

Police Spokesman Sam Clemens says the person making the phone call threatened to have the man arrested if he didn't pay.

"A 65-year-old man received a phone call from somebody claiming to be from the IRS. This was similar to others scams that we have had before. But, this one was a little bit different," explained Clemens.

"The caller said if he didn't pay $19,500 they would have a warrant issued for his arrest. They also wanted him to come to New York City with an attorney to take care of this matter. There are a lot of things that should have popped up, but unfortunately they didn't."

The victim went ahead with the transaction.

"Our victim went to the bank and withdraw some money. He also got a cash advance from a credit card. He then purchased $19,500 worth of iTunes gift cards. He called the suspect back and read over the card numbers."

Clemens says it's doubtful the Sioux Falls man will ever get the money back.

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