Have you received a call from “the IRS” telling you that you owe money and if you do not pay now, you will be arrested? If yes, you are not alone. The calls appear legitimate because the caller I.D. says IRS, and they know a lot of personal information about you. They are frightening because the callers are incredibly aggressive, will claim to put liens on your house, or will threaten to have you arrested if you do not pay immediately.
If you get a call like this:
- Immediately hang up. Do not engage with the caller. It is a scam.
Next, report it: - Call the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) at 1-800-366-4484 or at www.tigta.gov
- Contact the Federal Trade Commission and use their “FTC Complaint Assistant” at FTC.gov. Please add “IRS Telephone Scam” to the comments of your complaint.
Unfortunately, these callers are having success with the elderly and new immigrants and have stolen millions from people. So, if you know someone who may be vulnerable to this scam, please talk to them today and advise them to hang up on these con men.
What if the IRS legitimately needs to contact me?
If you do owe money, the IRS will send you letters and will give you a plethora of options for coming current. The IRS will never:
- Call to demand immediate payment, nor will the agency call about taxes owed without first having mailed you a bill.
- Demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe.
- Require you to use a specific payment method for your taxes, such as a prepaid debit card.
- Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.
- Threaten to bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.
For more information go to: http://www.youtube.com/irsvideos