IRS Phone Scam Advisory

Please be advised the residents of the Village of Lemont are still experiencing numerous attempted phone scams in which callers request residents to purchase green dot cards, iTunes gift cards or make other monetary transactions into unknown accounts to settle issues from the Internal Revenue Service, Bond Transactions (for family members) and other companies. Callers are also being told they may have a warrant issued for their arrest if they do not cooperate.

The IRS does not contact anyone by phone, email or text to request information or payment. IRS will never contact you to ask you to wire money or purchase pre-paid debit cards to make a tax payment by email.

If you should receive a call such as this, do not comply with the request. The U.S. Treasury Inspector General has set up an online website to handle the issues. For IRS related scams, go to the webpage or call (800) 366-4484 to report the issue. For other solicitations, report the incident.

Please contact the Lemont Police Department also to report these incidents by dialing 911 or 630-257-2226.

On May 4th 2016, Lemont Police responded to the 15800 block of New Avenue for a report of residential break-in where the offender had fled the scene. As a result of the investigation, on May 11th Lemont Detectives arrested Paul Ely of the 3300 block of South Levitt Street in Chicago. Ely was transferred to the Bridgeview Court House where he is currently being held on $150,000 bond. On May 27th 2016, Ely was indicted on one count of Residential Burglary and one count of Criminal Damage to Property regarding this case. Any questions in reference to this case can be forwarded to the Lemont Police Department Investigative Unit, attention Det. Sergeant Mezyk at 630-257- 2228 ext 2425.

Concrete Repair Scams

Lemont and many communities in the larger area have experienced the resumption of repair scams aimed at unaware homeowners.

Typically, traveling scam crews knock on the door unsolicited and offer to repair driveway or garage floor cracks. The work they offer is less than professional, substandard material and they may attempt to burglarize your house while the repairs are being done. They also may offer to re-top your asphalt or put concrete in your driveway, asking for payment up-front. The work is either never finished or done with inferior products. The way to protect against this is to not approve unsolicited offers of home repair work, and to get three bids from reputable contractors. If somebody fitting this profile knocks on your door, call the police. If they leave before the police arrive, please jot down their license plate.

Avoiding Common Concrete Driveway Scams

The "name dropper" and the "I have extra (concrete)" are two of the most popular concrete scams. The name dropper appears at your door one afternoon and tells you that Dave from next door and Bobby down the street both hired him to repair their driveways, and he can offer you a great deal if you agree on the spot. Never agree. Chances are he simply introduced himself to your neighbors, who politely provided their names and then turned him down. Offer to call your neighbors to confirm, and the "name dropper" will quickly leave. The "I have extra" contractor drives by your house when you're outside in the yard, stops, then tells you that he's just finished a job in the area and has extra cement left over. So long as you can pay right now and in cash, he's willing to help you out with a great price. Politely decline and walk way. Any contractor carrying around "extra" isn't doing anything of the kind; he'll likely take your money, do a shoddy job and the disappear. Large-scale concrete repair isn't a task you want to tackle on your own, but hiring the right company means getting solid quotes, understanding the repair process and knowing what to look for when scam artists come calling.

For more information, please see the Village of Lemont website.