IRS-Impersonation Telephone Scams Continue
Submitted by Desmond Wealth Management, Inc. on July 13th, 2016An aggressive and sophisticated phone scam targeting taxpayers, including recent immigrants, has been making the rounds throughout the country. Callers claim to be employees of the IRS but are not. These con artists can sound convincing when they call. They use fake names and bogus IRS identification badge numbers. They may know a lot about their targets, and they usually alter the caller ID to make it look like the IRS is calling.
Victims are told they owe money to the IRS and it must be paid promptly through a pre-loaded 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, or victims may be told they have a refund due to trying to trick them into sharing private information. If the phone isn't answered, the scammers often leave an “urgent” callback request.
Note that the IRS will never:
1) Call to demand immediate payment, nor will the agency call about taxes owed without first having mailed you a bill;
2) Demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe;
3) Require you to use a specific payment method for your taxes, such as a prepaid debit card;
4) Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone; or
5) Threaten to bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.
As such, we urge all of our clients to adhere to the following guidelines should you receive a call from someone claiming to be from the IRS and you’ve NOT received a contact letter prior:
If you receive a phone call that you suspect to be a scam, hang up right away. If you receive multiple calls, try to record them and turn the recordings and any other related information that you have over to the IRS and local law enforcement.
If you receive emails claiming that the sender is from the IRS, save the emails, do NOT click on any links or open files contained within the email, and forward these emails to the IRS at: phishing@irs.gov.
Never share your personal information over the phone or by email with someone claiming to be from the IRS. The IRS will never e-mail or call you to ask for this type of information or to ask you to send money right away.
Protect your personal information. Any type of documentation that contains your sensitive data is a treasure trove for tax thieves and identity scammers. Keep documents containing your Social Security Number, bank account numbers, and other sensitive information in a secure location. Electronic forms should be stored on a password-protected or encrypted external drive or disk.
For more details on this ongoing scam, see: https://www.irs.gov/uac/scam-calls-and-emails-using-irs-as-bait-persist