Earlier this month I posted an item about the IRS scam going
around where scammers would email or phone people, claiming that the recipients
owed back taxes to the IRS. The emailer or caller would demand payment through
a prepaid credit card. (http://ssnoccrimewatch.blogspot.com/2014/03/irs-warning-on-fake-emails-and-phone.html)
This morning, several national and state agencies, including
the Washington State Attorney General’s Office, were putting out the word about
the phone part of this scam. The AARP Fraud Watch Network also sent out an
alert this afternoon.
According to the alert, a caller will call claiming to be an
IRS agent and threatening license suspension, arrest or deportation.
And often the scammer will:
• Know
the last four digits of the victim’s Social Security number.
• Make
caller ID appear as if the IRS is calling.
• Send
follow-up bogus IRS emails to support their scam.
• Call
a second time claiming to be the police or DMV, and caller ID again supports
their claim.
As mentioned earlier this month, the IRS will contact you by
mail, not by phone, about unpaid taxes.
AARP recommends the following:
If you receive a call from an IRS scammer, hang up. Do not
give money or credit card information over the phone. Don’t trust caller who
threatens you, insults you, or bullies you.
Report the call to:
- The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 800-366-4484.
- File a complaint with the
Federal Trade Commission at FTC.gov. Add "IRS Telephone Scam" to
the comments in your complaint.
AARP:
No comments:
Post a Comment