DEARBORN — The IRS cannot call you and demand that you make an immediate payment to avoid an arrest. 

But that’s what IRS scammers have been doing around the metro-Detroit region. And it’s been working. 

Police have reported an increase in phone scammers posing as IRS agents demanding payments for past-due tax payments.

The Dearborn Police Department reported in an email that these con-artists are demanding money in the form of Western Union wire transfers and iTunes gift cards among other electronic payment methods. 

“We are asking our citizens to trust their instincts and if they do not feel comfortable with the situation they should seek the assistance of the police, family, or friends,” Police chief Ronald Haddad wrote in the email. 

In a past news release regarding phone scammers posing as IRS agents, John Koskinen, IRS commissioner, said that “if you are surprised to be hearing from us; then you’re not hearing from us.”

Anyone who has received a suspicious call in Dearborn is asked to call the department.

 In the past, the Michigan State Police have provided tips for people caught in this situation; Do not give personal information to unknown callers, do not respond to unsolicited emails from unknown senders, confirm the identity of a contact by calling back and independently speaking with the identified source, use a reliable source, such as a phone book, to confirm the contact’s phone number or email and report any suspicious contact to police.