SCAM ALERT!!
IRS PHONE SCAM
Region – Nation Wide Thursday, May 26, 2016
Purpose – Monetary
Method – Poses as the I.R.S. and Threatens Legal Action
This scam has several variations, depending on where you live, but the general gist is this:
Someone claiming to be from the IRS will call, (sometimes live person, sometimes recording), and inform the victim that the I.R.S. has recently filed a lawsuit against, or even more frightening, an arrest warrant for the victim due to back taxes being owed. The verbiage goes something like this:
“The reason you are receiving this pre-recorded message is to notify you the Internal Revenue Service has issued an arrest warrant against you.”
OR
“The reason for this call is to inform you that the IRS is filing a lawsuit against you.”
In all forms, the message will end with something like,
“Before we proceed in any legal prosecution my direct call back is (206) 451-5554."
(This is one of the actual call back numbers used – DON’T CALL IT!)
A couple of things to point out about how the IRS actually conducts business.
The IRS will never:
The scam seems targeted to elderly people since it appeared to have originated in some of the retirement hotspots across the country, (Florida, Arizona, Colorado, etc), but it has gone nationwide.
What you can do:
Pass this information on! Tell your friends, your family, copy/paste this message into an email and forward it. Have your friends and family tell their friends and family!
If you think you’re being targeted by an IRS scam:
If you know you owe, or think you may owe tax:
Tax scams can happen any time of year, not just at tax time. For more, visit “Tax Scams and Consumer Alerts” on IRS.gov.
Portions of this alert were taken from the report posted by ABC Action News, WFTS, Tampa Bay. To view the entire article and video story, go to: http://www.abcactionnews.com/news/hillsborough-regional-news/irs-issues-warning-about-phone-scam
Purpose – Monetary
Method – Poses as the I.R.S. and Threatens Legal Action
This scam has several variations, depending on where you live, but the general gist is this:
Someone claiming to be from the IRS will call, (sometimes live person, sometimes recording), and inform the victim that the I.R.S. has recently filed a lawsuit against, or even more frightening, an arrest warrant for the victim due to back taxes being owed. The verbiage goes something like this:
“The reason you are receiving this pre-recorded message is to notify you the Internal Revenue Service has issued an arrest warrant against you.”
OR
“The reason for this call is to inform you that the IRS is filing a lawsuit against you.”
In all forms, the message will end with something like,
“Before we proceed in any legal prosecution my direct call back is (206) 451-5554."
(This is one of the actual call back numbers used – DON’T CALL IT!)
A couple of things to point out about how the IRS actually conducts business.
The IRS will never:
- Call to demand immediate payment, nor will the agency call about taxes owed without first having mailed you a bill.
- Demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe.
- Require you to use a specific payment method for your taxes, such as a prepaid debit card.
- Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.
- Threaten to bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.
The scam seems targeted to elderly people since it appeared to have originated in some of the retirement hotspots across the country, (Florida, Arizona, Colorado, etc), but it has gone nationwide.
What you can do:
Pass this information on! Tell your friends, your family, copy/paste this message into an email and forward it. Have your friends and family tell their friends and family!
If you think you’re being targeted by an IRS scam:
- Report it. Take down the number and any other information given to you by the scammers.
- Call the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at (800) 366-4484 or go to the “IRS Impersonation Scam Reporting” website and report it.
If you know you owe, or think you may owe tax:
- Call the IRS at 800-829-1040. IRS workers can help you.
Tax scams can happen any time of year, not just at tax time. For more, visit “Tax Scams and Consumer Alerts” on IRS.gov.
Portions of this alert were taken from the report posted by ABC Action News, WFTS, Tampa Bay. To view the entire article and video story, go to: http://www.abcactionnews.com/news/hillsborough-regional-news/irs-issues-warning-about-phone-scam