Federal officials have been warning about the IRS scam for
over a year. It involves someone
impersonating an IRS agent making calls to unsuspecting citizens claiming that the
person who answers the phone owes back taxes.
Federal officials believe that this is the largest IRS phone
scam in history. In testimony to the Senate Finance Committee, Timothy Camus, a
Treasury deputy inspector general for tax administration, reported that more
than 3,000 people have fallen victim to the scheme since 2013. And, the scam
has targeted 366,000 taxpayers and collected around $15.5 million. In one case
a man lost $500,000.
Federal investigators believe that several groups may be
conducting the scam. Two people have been arrested in Florida for being part of
the scam that involved call centers in India.
In early February, the Edmonds Police Department issued an
alert about the IRS scam. Safeway store employees at 23632 Highway 99 called
police when a Mountlake Terrace woman came into the store to purchase $2,400 in
prepaid credit cards. When employees talked to her, she said that she needed
the cards to pay an IRS debt. Police and
employees were able to cancel $3,000 worth of cards that she had purchased at
another Safeway store.
The Washington State Attorney General’s Office has also issued
warnings about this scam. It recommends that if you receive a call from an IRS
scammer, hang up. That is your best protection.
Consumerist:
http://consumerist.com/2015/03/12/irs-impersonation-scam-is-largest-in-history-cost-consumers-15-5m/
My Edmonds News:
Washington State Attorney General’s Office:
No comments:
Post a Comment