IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent, Scott M. Schneider, alerted local Historic City News reporters in St Johns County that, in recent weeks, there has been a surge in reported phone scams through the Internal Revenue Service field office.
The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration has become aware of nearly 3,000 victims who have collectively paid over $14 million to criminals fraudulently claiming to be IRS officials who demanded that the taxpayer send cash to them via prepaid debit cards.
“If someone calls unexpectedly claiming to be from the IRS with aggressive threats if you don’t pay immediately, it’s a scam artist calling,” said IRS Commissioner John Koskinen. “The first IRS contact with taxpayers is usually through the mail. Taxpayers have rights, and this is not how we do business.”
According to Agent Schneider, the Inspector General is investigating numerous complaints that scam artists have called local residents and threatened them with arrest, deportation, license revocation, and other things.
The Internal Revenue Service will never:
- Call to demand immediate payment, nor will the agency call about taxes owed without first having mailed you a bill.
- Demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe.
- Use email, text messages or any social media to discuss your personal tax issue involving bills or refunds.
- Require you to use a specific payment method for your taxes, such as a prepaid debit card.
- Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.
- Threaten to bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.
Commissioner Koskinen reported that scammers are able to alter caller ID numbers to make it look like the IRS is calling. They use fake names and bogus IRS badge numbers, and have been known to impersonate agents from IRS Criminal Investigation.
They often leave “urgent” callback requests. They prey on the most vulnerable people, such as the elderly, newly arrived immigrants and those whose first language is not English.
“These criminals try to scare and shock you into providing personal financial information on the spot while you are off guard,” Commissioner Koskinen said. “Don’t be taken in and don’t engage these people over the phone.”
Phone scams, with some variation, have been a persistent and pervasive problem for many taxpayers. The Treasury Department is prepared to raise consumer awareness this year in the hope that fraud and taxpayer abuse can be reduced. Analysis has proved that many of these con-games peak during tax filing season as people prepare their tax returns or hire someone to do so.
If unsolicited callers demand money or say you have a tax refund due and try to trick you into sharing private information, they are likely con-artists; even though they may sound convincing when they call.
If you get a phone call from someone claiming to be from the IRS and asking for money, here’s what you should do:
- If you know you owe taxes or think you might owe, call the IRS at 1-800-829-1040. The IRS workers can help you with a payment issue.
- If you know you don’t owe taxes or have no reason to believe that you do, report the incident to the TIGTA at 1-800-366-4484 or at www.tigta.gov.
- If you’ve been targeted by this scam, 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.
- For more information on reporting tax scams, go to www.irs.gov and type “scam” in the search box.
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