Dirty Dozen Tax Scams 2015: Phone Scams

The IRS recently published their “Dirty Dozen Tax Scams” for the 2015 filing season one at a time. The first scam on their list: phone scams. Apparently aggressive and threatening callers impersonate IRS agents and threaten police arrest, deportation, and license revocation among other things. They know just how to make people feel desperate enough to give them financial information on the spot. The IRS puts phone scams at the top of their list because they have been so common during the past few months. They also point out that the scam artists tend to target those who are perceived as easy targets such as the elderly, new immigrants and people who speak English as a second language.

We at GQ Law want to remind our followers that the IRS will never call demanding that you pay immediately over the phone. The first contact from the IRS to taxpayers is usually a mailed letter. Despite the negative things many people have to say about the IRS, they do understand that people have rights and threatening over the phone is not part of their practice.

The IRS has received reports of about 290,000 scam contacts since 2013 and knows of nearly 3,000 victims who have collectively paid over $14 million as a result of the phone scams!

 

The IRS 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.
• 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.

Source- IRS Newswire

We also want to remind you that the IRS doesn’t use email, text messages or social media to talk about your personal tax issues or refunds so if you are contacted in and of those ways you can immediately know you’ve been the victim of a scam.

If you or someone you know has been the victim of a tax scam the IRS advises you do the following:

• 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 tax 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.

—

This information is not intended as legal counsel. Please make an appointment for you FREE consultation with our experienced tax law team so we can advise you about your particular tax situation.