SKR+Co Alert: IRS Warns of scams this time of year
Please be aware of potential scams and what to look out for so you don't become a victim. This month, the IRS has warned of two scams in particular.
Phone Scam
The first is a phone scam that targets people across the nation. Callers claiming to be from the IRS tell intended victims they owe taxes and must pay using a pre-paid debit card or wire transfer. If the victim refuses to cooperate, they are then threatened with arrest, deportation or suspension of a business or driver’s license. In many cases, the caller becomes hostile and insulting.
“This scam has hit taxpayers in nearly every state in the country,” says IRS Acting Commissioner Danny Werfel. “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.” Werfel noted that the first IRS contact with taxpayers on a tax issue is likely to occur via mail, not phone or email.
Other characteristics of this scam include:
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Scammers use fake names and IRS badge numbers. They generally use common names and surnames to identify themselves.
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Scammers may be able to recite the last four digits of a victim’s Social Security Number.
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Scammers spoof the IRS toll-free number on caller ID to make it appear that it’s the IRS calling.
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Scammers sometimes send bogus IRS emails to some victims to support their bogus calls.
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Victims hear background noise of other calls being conducted to mimic a call site.
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After threatening victims with jail time or driver’s license revocation, scammers hang up and others soon call back pretending to be from the local police or DMV, and the caller ID supports their claim.
If you get a phone call from someone claiming to be from the IRS, here’s what you should do:
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If you know you owe taxes or you think you might owe taxes, call the IRS at 1.800.829.1040. The IRS employees at that line can help you with a payment issue – if there really is such an issue.
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If you know you don’t owe taxes or have no reason to think that you owe any taxes (for example, you’ve never received a bill or the caller made some bogus threats as described above), then call and report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 1.800.366.4484.
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If you’ve been targeted by this scam, you should also contact the Federal Trade Commission and use their “FTC Complaint Assistant” at FTC.gov. Please add "IRS Telephone Scam" to the comments of your complaint.
Disaster-related Charitable Donation Scam
The second scam the IRS warns of this month is a disaster-related charitable donation scam. Whenever there is a major disaster, there seem to be people wanting to make a profit from it. It is common for scam artists to impersonate charities to get money or private information from well-intentioned taxpayers. Such fraudulent schemes may involve contact by telephone, social media, email or in-person solicitations. The IRS recently issued an alert about possible scams taking place in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan, known as Yolanda in the Philippines.
To see tips for avoiding this type of scam artist, Click Here.
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