SCAM ALERT! Don’t fall victim to IRS phone scam

The Internal Revenue Service imposter scam is making the rounds.  Several Coffee County residents have reported receiving robocalls from someone claiming the IRS is about to file a lawsuit against them.

Fraud Alert Road Sign-464641_1920The caller asks for the victim to call back. The call-back numbers vary.

Don’t fall for this scam. Just hang up! The calls are from criminals wanting to put charges on victims credit cards and elicit personal information from them.

The IRS won’t call out of the blue to ask for payment, won’t demand a specific form of payment and won’t leave a message threatening to sue you if you don’t pay right away.

“We continue to see these aggressive tax scams across the county,” IRS Commissioner John Koskinen said in a statement. “Scam artists specialize in being deceptive and fooling people. The IRS urges taxpayers to be extra cautious and think twice before answering suspicious phone calls, emails or letters.”

The IRS warned that older individuals have been targeted and seem to be more vulnerable. These scammers prey on senior citizens and may even already have some of your personal information.

Here are some of the warning signs to look out for:

  • Threats: Scammers will often use threats such as arrest or deportation. The IRS says it will never threaten to bring in local police or other law enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.
  • Urgent: The scammers make it seem like a transaction to remedy the supposed financial problem needs to be done immediately. The IRS, however, says it does not demand immediate payment over the phone, nor will the agency call about taxes owed without first having mailed you a bill.
  • Payment method: Specifying a bank or use of a prepaid debit card to pay your taxes is something the IRS would NOT require of you. The IRS also will not ask you for banking or credit or debit card information over the phone.
  • No questions or appeals: While a scammer might not allow you to question or appeal the taxes you’re said to owe, the real IRS will allow you these.
  • Not a .gov: If correspondence is coming a .com, .net, .org or any other URL ending that’s not a .gov, it’s not the IRS.

How will the IRS contact you if you have an issue with your taxes? The IRS will write you a letter via old fashioned snail mail first. With some scammers copying IRS letterhead to seem more official, be sure to make sure none of the above happen in the letter.

Have you gotten a bogus IRS call like this?  If you did, click here to report the call to the FTC. Include the phone number it came from, along with any details you have.

If you are a victim and gave information to such callers, click here to file a complaint with the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.

This is a video player of a sample call.  Click here for the sample.

And last but not least a warning video from IRS:

This lady called the number back and went through the whole process.

Be safe out there!

Robb