IRS Urges Public to Stay Alert for Scam Phone Calls

IRS ^ | 10/21/2015 | IRS

[RightGeek]

IRS Urges Public to Stay Alert for Scam Phone Calls

IRS Special Edition Tax Tip 2015-18, October 21, 2015

The IRS continues to warn consumers to guard against scam phone calls from thieves intent on stealing their money or their identity. Criminals pose as the IRS to trick victims out of their money or personal information. Here are several tips to help you avoid being a victim of these scams:

• Scammers make unsolicited calls.  Thieves call taxpayers claiming to be IRS officials. They demand that the victim pay a bogus tax bill. They con the victim into sending cash, usually through a prepaid debit card or wire transfer. They may also leave “urgent” callback requests through phone “robo-calls,” or via phishing email.
  
  

• Callers try to scare their victims.  Many phone scams use threats to intimidate and bully a victim into paying. They may even threaten to arrest, deport or revoke the license of their victim if they don’t get the money.
  
  

• Scams use caller ID spoofing.  Scammers often alter caller ID to make it look like the IRS or another agency is calling. The callers use IRS titles and fake badge numbers to appear legitimate. They may use the victim’s name, address and other personal information to make the call sound official.
  
  

• Cons try new tricks all the time.  Some schemes provide an actual IRS address where they tell the victim to mail a receipt for the payment they make. Others use emails that contain a fake IRS document with a phone number or an email address for a reply. These scams often use official IRS letterhead in emails or regular mail that they send to their victims. They try these ploys to make the ruse look official.
  
  

• Scams cost victims over $23 million.  The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, or TIGTA, has received reports of about 736,000 scam contacts since October 2013. Nearly 4,550 victims have collectively paid over $23 million as a result of the scam.

The IRS will not:

• Call you to demand immediate payment. The IRS will not call you if you owe taxes without first sending you a bill in the mail.
  
  

• Demand that you pay taxes and not allow you to question or appeal the amount you owe.
  
  

• Require that you pay your taxes a certain way. For instance, require that you pay with a prepaid debit card.
  
  

• Ask for your credit or debit card numbers over the phone.
  
  

• Threaten to bring in police or other agencies to arrest you for not paying.

If you don’t owe taxes, or have no reason to think that you do:

• Do not give out any information. Hang up immediately.
  
  

• Contact TIGTA to report the call. Use their “IRS Impersonation Scam Reporting” web page. You can also call 800-366-4484.
  
  

• Report it to the Federal Trade Commission. Use the “FTC Complaint Assistant” on FTC.gov. Please add "IRS Telephone Scam" in the notes.

If you know you owe, or think you may owe tax:

• Call the IRS at 800-829-1040. IRS workers can help you.

Phone scams first tried to sting older people, new immigrants to the U.S. and those who speak English as a second language. Now the crooks try to swindle just about anyone. And they’ve ripped-off people in every state in the nation.

Stay alert to scams that use the IRS as a lure. Tax scams can happen any time of year, not just at tax time. For more, visit “Tax Scams and Consumer Alerts” on IRS.gov.

Each and every taxpayer has a set of fundamental rights they should be aware of when dealing with the IRS. These are your Taxpayer Bill of Rights. Explore your rights and our obligations to protect them on IRS.gov.

IRS YouTube Videos:

• Tax Scams – English | Spanish | ASL  

IRS Podcasts:

• Tax Scams – English | Spanish
  

[RightGeek]

This is sort of old news but I am posting it because there seems to be an epidemic of this scam locally. I read one news report that suggest the calls come from "a rogue call center in India" and based on the accent of the "IRS agents" who left messages for me, that seems about right. Look up "IRS scam" at your favorite search engine to see lots of stories on this including stories of a number of victims.

[nascarnation]

I love when these guys call.

It’s always a 202 area code and Washington DC on the caller ID.

The longest I’ve been able to keep them on the line is about 20 minutes (while I’m FReeping on a laptop) LOL.

[Cletus.D.Yokel]

Huh...

I thought the REAL IRS was a scam to take my money...
hooda thunk.

[Opinionated Blowhard]

I got one of these calls. Initially you are put off guard but then it becomes laughably clear that the guy on the other end of the line isn’t an IRS agent. He said I owed $10,000 as a result of a “secret” audit and that the IRS was going to prosecute me criminally and that I would go to jail for 10 years. But then he said that maybe he could work with me and he would have to check with is boss. He put the line on hold for a minute and came back and said, OK, if I wired them $5,000 now that they would drop it. LOL. I kept him on the line for the sheer amusement value.

[ErnBatavia]

We let the machine pick up virtually all calls.....funny how these IRS people are all Punjabis or Patels.

[nascarnation]

The ones I get sound like E. Europe or Russia accents.

[firebrand]

Don’t answer calls from unknown numbers. If it’s legitimate, they can leave a message.

[Cletus.D.Yokel]

:: there seems to be an epidemic of this scam locally ::

An interesting statement. By your use of the term “locally” we can assume the post is referencing your city or county.

By posting such to a nationwide news compilation-board, we might assume the scam is being perpetrated on the FreeRepublic news feed.

Your PSA is likely to reach more of your “local” FRiends if you posted it to your state chat board or, to another media outlet in your city or county.

Juss sayin’

[FamiliarFace]

I got one on my cell phone, just a few days ago! I didn’t take the call, so they left a threatening message. I turned them in as a scammer, then blocked that number.

[Cementjungle]

IRS Urges Public to Stay Alert for Scam Phone Calls

I had one just yesterday... if was the GOP of FL. I told him that I prefer to donate directly to candidates of my own choosing. He begged for a while, but I didn't budge.

[dfwgator]

“Debbie....she can’t come to the phone right now......I’ll have her call you back when I’m through.....................I love wrong numbers.”

[Cletus.D.Yokel]

ICWhutUDid!

[Opinionated Blowhard]

LOL. You’re right. I get scam calls from a shady organization called the RNC all the time. They claim that if I donate to them, the Republicans will be able to stop Democrat and Obama policies and advance a conservative agenda. It clearly is a scam.

[RightGeek]

Thought about that but the scam isn’t unique to my area, so posted it generally.

[ozaukeemom]

They call me every day. Mine are always recorded messages saying there is a lawsuit.
lol I just got one while I was posting this.
Usually they are 202 area codes. This one was 206. Probably cuz I keep adding them to my auto reject list.

[rightwingintelligentsia]

Last year and the year before I must have received at least 60 or 70 of these calls. At first they were Indian-accented live scammers but eventually they switched to computer-generated robocalls.

Haven’t received one yet this year though.

[manc]

Had two calls least week saying that the IRS is filing a lawsuit against me and I have to phone a certain number.
Called ID was Washington DC and like hell am I going to call them.

[combat_boots]

The IRS sends letters.

We got a few of those calls here, too.

[Cletus.D.Yokel]

Funny story:

I got one of these calls asking for my daughter who had “won” $25,000.00.

I told them that she just stepped into the shower and could call them back within about 30 minutes. I requested his call back number.

The scammer hemmed-&-hawed so I turned the tables on him...
I asked him for his company bank routing and account number so she can make the appropriate extraction.

CLICK!...
BUZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

[manc]

same here.
IRS about to file a lawsuit against me.

Yea right.

Wife got one about a month ago and they told her that she will have deputies coming round if she doe snot pay.
She replied”OK do that as my whole family is in law enforcement “ They put the phone down LOL.