IRS Tax Phone Scam
Beware… IRS Tax Phone Scam: The IRS has identified a widespread phone scam that has popped up in nearly every state. Taxpayers who are victims of this scam receive phone calls from individuals impersonating IRS agents. During these calls, they are often told that they have a back tax balance which needs to be paid instantly either by charging the amount on a prepaid credit card or transferring the funds by wire. If the taxpayer disputes the request for payment, the scammers will often threaten to confiscate their business or their driver’s license or have them arrested or deported.
These bogus IRS calls can be convincing due to the fact that the scammers use caller ID spoofing, which makes the toll-free phone number of the IRS show up on the taxpayer’s caller ID. In addition, the scammers frequently make up counterfeit badge numbers and may know the last four digits of a victim’s social security number. Some victims even claim to hear background noise that sounds like the call is being made from a call center. If the taxpayer hangs up, they will often get a second call from the same, or another scammer saying they are with the police department or the DMV.
To protect against this type of scam, taxpayers should not believe anyone who claims to be an IRS agent. In the first place, the IRS has announced that they will never request that payment for back taxes be made by a wire transfer or a prepaid debit card. Secondly, they have made it clear that they will usually make their first interaction with a delinquent taxpayer by mail. IRS Acting Commissioner Danny Werfel recently said that, “If someone unexpectedly calls claiming to be from the IRS and threatens police arrest, deportation or license revocation if you don’t pay immediately, that is a sign that it really isn’t the IRS calling.”
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