Scams come in all different forms and, especially in recent months, all too often.

Area police departments have had their hands full responding to reports of fraud.Some attempts have been successful while others were foiled, but authorities urge caution especially when asked for financial or personal information.IRS scam becoming popularOne case that turned out to have a happy ending unfolded recently at Rite Aid in the Carbon Plaza Mall, where an employee saved a customer $4,000.The female customer told store employees she received a call from the Internal Revenue Service during which someone told her she had to pay money immediately."She was told she had to purchase a certain type of money card or she would be arrested," said Audie Mertz, Mahoning Township police chief.The card was a reloadable, prepaid Green Dot MoneyPak.At a store, customers take the card to the register and add any amount from $20 to $500. It can then only be used with partners listed at

www.moneypak.com.While still at Rite Aid, the female spoke with the caller claiming to be from the IRS and told the caller she felt she was being scammed.Almost immediately, the customer received a call that popped up on her caller identification as coming from the Lehighton Borough Police Department.Mertz said the caller used technology "freely available" to trick the customer into thinking she was being called by the police.Caller ID spoofingThe act of tricking customers into thinking they are being called by a certain number is called "caller ID spoofing."A Google search will unveil multiple mobile phone apps and other online programs that can achieve the phone number falsification.Many of the apps work by simply entering the number you want the call to appear it is coming from before calling your target.According to the Federal Communications Commission, other scams have seen individuals make it appear as though they were calling from a bank, credit card company or even a government agency.Caller ID spoofing is against the law.The Truth in Caller ID Act of 2009 prohibits it for the purposes of "defrauding or otherwise causing harm," according to the FCC.Penalties for breaking the law range up to $10,000."The customer at Rite Aid was assured the call she received was fraudulent and that she did not lose any money," Mertz said.Because of the $500 limit, scammers are generally asked to purchase several MoneyPak cards.Included on the card is the statement, "If a criminal gets your money, Green Dot is not responsible for paying you back."Identical scams have been stopped at other Rite Aid stores in the region.Police said they would never call and demand payment for the IRS.According to the Federal Trade Commission, "Thousands of people lose money to telephone scams each year, from a few dollars to their life savings."What can be done?The FCC asks that anyone who suspects they were the victim of caller ID spoofing report it by calling 888-CALL-FCC, or filing a complaint at

www.fcc.gov/complaints.Caller ID is one tool to confirm who is calling, but is not the only resource, according to David Shallcross, of the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office."The best thing to do is tell them you're busy and you need to call them back," he said. "That gives you time to do your own research and call the company the person is claiming to be from to find out if they actually placed a call to you."Legal recourse is difficult, he said, because many of the phone applications that can change a caller ID number claim to be "for entertainment purposes only" when you sign up for them."Every different telephone service has different call-blocking procedures," Shallcross said."The issue with that is the bad guys are smart and they'll find a way to change the number they are calling from. Preventing the calls is difficult, we just urge everyone to be cautious and check everything out. Unfortunately, you really can't trust anyone anymore."Seniors still the targetShallcross said the majority of scams are still targeted toward senior citizens."As medicine becomes more advanced and we know more about living healthy lifestyles, people are living longer," Shallcross said. "Therefore, there are more targets. We're still hearing a lot of stories about medical alert scams where seniors are contacted and told a family member purchased one of the devices for them. They try to glean personal information from them."There was a time when the majority of scammers could be traced back to a foreign country, but that is no longer the case."They're not all from the other side of the globe anymore," Shallcross said. "There are a lot of incidents originating right here in the U.S."More local incidentsIn another local incident, Joanne Shanosky of Lehighton hung up on a man who called her in October claiming to be from PPL Electric Utilities.He asked for Shanosky's customer number."It was his persistence that bothered me," she said.A Penn Forest Township woman wasn't so lucky when she was supposedly hired as a personal assistant via email.She was sent a check for $1,985, according to state police at Fern Ridge, which was to be used for her first assignment involving an orphanage. After depositing the check in her bank account, she was told the assignment was canceled she needed to return $1,600 plus costs, which she did via Western Union and MoneyGram.However, after the money was canceled, the original check was canceled and the woman lost $1,985.Prepare for the holidaysWith the holiday shopping season kicking into full gear Friday, Shallcross warns that now, more than ever, is the time to be skeptical of "too good to be true" offers."Listen for any offers that are only for a limited time and urge you to act quickly," he said. "If an offer can't stand on its own two feet long enough for you to investigate it, it is of no value to you."The Better Business Bureau put out a list this week of the top five scams to avoid this holiday season.They include online shopping scams, online advertisements for hot toys and gadgets, identify theft at the mall, bogus charitable pleas and phishing emails.