Warning: Calls from IRS Scammers Are Accelerating!
As if you don’t have enough to worry about. Thousands of American taxpayers are being conned out of millions by crooks posing as IRS agents demanding tax payments. Just recently, one of the team members at Bressler & Company received a phone message on their cell phone. The recorded message indicated that it was “an official notice call,” from the IRS and said they had filed a lawsuit again her! When she tried to call the number back, it was not answered.
To lend these IRS scams credibility, the crooks often know the last four digits of the taxpayer’s Social Security number, and the calls are made with spoofed caller identification software that makes it appear the call is originating from the IRS.
In many cases, taxpayers will get follow-up calls that appear to be from their state motor vehicle agency (if a driver’s license was threatened) or the police. The scammers also send follow-up emails that mimic the IRS insignia and even appear to be signed by real IRS officials.
In reality, if you owe taxes, the IRS will contact you first by U.S. mail — not a phone call or email. They will NEVER asks for payment via debit card or wire transfer. They NEVER asks you to provide a credit card number over the phone. And, they NEVER requests personal or financial information by e-mail, text or social media.
If someone unexpectedly calls claiming to be from the IRS and uses threatening language if you don’t pay immediately, that is a sign that it is NOT the IRS calling.
If you get a call from someone claiming to be with the IRS asking for a payment, here’s what you should do:
* If you owe federal taxes, or think you may owe taxes, hang up and call the IRS directly at 1-800-829-1040.
* If you don’t owe taxes, call and report the incident to the Treasury inspector general of tax administration at 1-800-366-4484.
* You can also file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at www.FTC.gov. Please add “IRS Telephone Scam” to the comments in your complaint.
* If you get an email that’s purportedly from the IRS, do not open any attachments or click on any links in the email. Forward it to phishing@irs.gov.
You should also be aware of other unrelated scams (such as a lottery sweepstakes winner) and solicitations (such as debt relief) that fraudulently claim to be from the IRS. You can read more about identified tax scams at the IRS website.
If you receive a phone message like this, DO NOT return the call or answer any of their questions if they call you again, as this is a SCAM and not how the IRS conducts business. If you do speak to someone claiming to be from the IRS and you are a client of Bressler & Company, we recommend you simply tell them that we handle all your tax issues and give them our phone number — 559.924.1225.
