Late last week, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine’s office announced that over 600 reports had been made pertaining to tax scams since the beginning of September.

While we know a telephone scam can take on a variety of forms, these instances seemingly are increasing at an alarming rate.

In this case, the scam revolves around taxes with the caller portraying himself or herself as an agent with the United States Treasury.

In these cases, it is always paramount for residents to be leery of these types of phone calls, and file a report with the attorney general’s office immediately. The attorney general’s website offers some tips about these types of scams that are beneficial for residents to know.

• Don’t trust threatening callers. If you receive an unexpected phone call from someone who threatens to arrest you for not paying taxes, be very skeptical, especially if you never received any written notice.

• Don’t respond to illegal robocalls in any way. Don’t interact with the caller, and don’t call a number left on your phone or in a message.

• Look into call-blocking options. Check with your phone carrier and third-party services to determine whether call-blocking services could help you stop unwanted calls.

Using these tips can be an essential component in ultimately not becoming a victim.