Dozens of Bainbridge residents have reported receiving scam phone calls in the last two weeks.

The calls typically involve a recorded message informing the call recipients that they owe money to the Internal Revenue Service, and that the IRS will file a lawsuit against them or put a lien on their property if the money isn’t forwarded.

“I assure you, the IRS doesn’t operate that way,” said Bainbridge Police Chief Matthew Hamner.

“The smart thing is to simply hang up,” he said.

The recorded messages have been reported as being aggressive.

Savvy scammers, Bainbridge police said, use VoIP technology or other means to manipulate caller IDs.

Scam phone calls might appear to be coming from different numbers, and calls coming from other countries can be made to look like they’re from U.S. phone numbers.

The majority of the callback numbers, officials said, ring into a boiler room full of scammers.

Residents who have received a phone call like this are encouraged to contact the FBI at http://www.fbi.gov/scams-safety/fraud to file a formal report.

Those who believe they’ve fallen victim to a scam are directed to call 911 immediately.