South Whidbey residents should be wary of an ongoing telephone scam involving phony federal and local authorities, according to island police.

Detective Ed Wallace with the Island County Sheriff’s Office confirmed this week recent reports of residents being contacted by the Internal Revenue Service. People are told they owe money or are being sued, and then are asked for personal information and money.

Despite sounding convincing, they are not legitimate notices or alerts.

“The IRS doesn’t work like that,” Wallace said.

Langley resident Debra Moore was one of those recently contacted. She was left a message and directed to call a Whidbey Island number. She followed the directions, but it was quickly apparent something wasn’t right; background noise was not what one would expect at an official IRS office, and the man hung up on her when she questioned his request for personal information.

Moore said the scam was deplorable. Not only does it prey on people’s trust in a federal agency, but the initial message was both convincing and alarming.

“It’s just a mean thing to do,” she said.

Such scams can be common around tax time, police said. The sheriff’s office has also gotten similar reports of people being contacted by claimed law enforcement officers, Wallace said. Following the same pattern, they ask for personal information and money.

Like the IRS, the sheriff’s office doesn’t work that way, Wallace said.

Anyone who believes they are being subject to a phone scam should report the incident to the sheriff’s office at 360-679-9567.