Beware IRS phone scams

Don’t fall victim to over-the-phone scams in which scammers impersonate IRS agents

   November 29, 2014

Recently, my office received information about phone calls received statewide in which an individual claimed to be from the IRS and demanded payment on taxes owed.

Please be aware – this phone call is a scam, and the IRS will NOT initiate first contact with you on the phone about taxes owed.

Always be wary of unsolicited phone calls in which an individual claims to represent a business or government entity and aggressively demands payment. The IRS does not operate this way and will always send official correspondence through the mail to make its first contact with you.

Additionally, it is important for you to know that the IRS:

  • Never asks for credit card, debit card or prepaid card information over the telephone;
  • Never insists that taxpayers use a specific payment method to pay tax obligations;
  • Never requests immediate payment over the telephone and will not take enforcement action immediately following a phone conversation. Taxpayers usually receive prior notification of IRS enforcement action involving IRS tax liens or levies. 

Consider the other characteristics of a scam.

  • Scammers use fake names and IRS badge numbers. They generally use common names and surnames to identify themselves.
  • Scammers may be able to recite the last four digits of a victim’s Social Security number.
  • Scammers spoof the IRS toll-free number on caller ID to make it appear that it’s the IRS calling.
  • Scammers sometimes send bogus IRS emails to some victims to support their bogus calls.
  • Victims hear background noise of other calls being conducted to mimic a call site.
  • After threatening victims with jail time or driver’s license revocation, scammers hang up and others soon call back pretending to be from the local police or DMV, and the caller ID supports their claim.

If you feel you have been targeted by this scam, please contact the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration to report the incident at this website or by calling 1-800-366-4484.

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