The IRS
recently issued a warning article describing various scams that criminals are
using to attempt to trick taxpayers. The
goal, of course, is to get your money. You can read the entire article here,
but I have pasted the most important parts below.
The Internal Revenue Service today warned taxpayers to stay
vigilant against an increase of IRS impersonation scams in the form of
automated calls and new tactics from scammers demanding tax payments on iTunes
and other gift cards.
The IRS has seen an increase in “robo-calls” where scammers leave
urgent callback requests through the phone telling taxpayers to call back to
settle their “tax bill.” These fake calls generally claim to be the last
warning before legal action is taken. Once the victim calls back, the scammers
may threaten to arrest, deport or revoke the driver’s license of the victim if
they don’t agree to pay.
In the latest trend, IRS impersonators are
demanding payments on iTunes and other gift cards. The IRS reminds taxpayers
that any request to settle a tax bill by putting money on any form of
gift card is a clear indication of a scam.
The IRS will never:
- Call to demand immediate payment over the phone, nor will the agency call about taxes owed without first having mailed you a bill.
- Threaten to immediately bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.
- 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, gift card or wire transfer.
- Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.
If you get a phone call
from someone claiming to be from the IRS and asking for money and you don’t owe
taxes, here’s what you should do:
- Do not give out any information. Hang up immediately.
- Contact TIGTA to report the call. Use their “IRS Impersonation Scam Reporting” web page or 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 think you might owe taxes, call the IRS directly at 800-829-1040.
Let's all be
careful out there!
Craig
Rhinehart
Chief Information Officer
