FROM: HOLLEY
CARNRIGHT
DATE: AUGUST 6, 2014
RE: TAXPAYERS
TARGETED BY IRS PHONE SCAM
If you get a call
from someone from the IRS demanding that you pay up or else, hang up. According
to the Ulster County District Attorney’s Division of Consumer Affairs, these
individuals are out to cheat you.
This phone scam has
hit taxpayers in nearly every state in the country. Callers claiming to be from
the IRS tell intended victims they owe taxes and must pay using a pre-paid debit
card or wire transfer. They often threaten those who refuse to pay with arrest,
deportation or loss of a business or driver’s license.
The truth is the IRS
first contacts people by mail – not by phone – about unpaid taxes. And the
agency won’t ask for payment using a pre-paid debit card or wire transfer, and
it won’t ask for a credit card number over the phone.
If you get such a
call, Consumer Affairs offers these suggestions:
·
If you
owe Federal taxes, or think you might owe taxes, hang up and call the IRS at
800-829-1040. IRS workers can help you with payment questions.
·
If you
don’t owe taxes, call and report the incident to TIGTA (Treasury Inspector
General for Tax Administration) at 800-366-4484.
·
You can
file a complaint with Consumer Affairs at 340-3260.
TIGTA and the IRS encourage
taxpayers to be alert for phone and e-mail scams that use the IRS name. The IRS
will never request personal or financial information by e-mail, texting or any
social media. These scam e-mails should be forwarded to phishing@irs.gov. Don’t open any attachments
or click on any links in those e-mails.
