IRS SCAMS- What the IRS Won’t Do

As we all work on our income taxes, the IRS continues issuing warnings about scammers posing as IRS agents both with phone calls and with emails who try to scare you into sending them money.

The IRS reminds everyone that their agents will not:

·         Call demanding immediate payment. If the IRS thinks that you owe tax or fees it will send you a bill via snail mail. An agent will not call you.

·         Demand payment without allowing you to question or appeal the amount owed.

·         Require you to pay your taxes a certain way such as with a prepaid debit card.

·         Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.

·         Threaten to have local police arrest you.

·         Threaten to sue you.

If you are contacted by an IRS scammer by phone, hang up. If you receive an email claiming that you owe taxes do not click on any links in the email. Do not reply to the message. Forward the email to phishing@irs.gov then delete the message.

You can report these incidents to:

·       Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) at https://www.treasury.gov/tigta/contact_report_scam.shtml

·       Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/GettingStarted?NextQID=216&Selected=t%20-%20crnt#crnt

Internal Revenue Service:

https://www.irs.gov/uac/don-t-fall-for-scam-calls-and-emails-posing-as-irs