Tax season may be over, but IRS impersonation scammers continue to target consumers. Taxpayers nationwide are reporting unsolicited calls from scammers who claim to be with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) demanding immediate payments.
In the last seven months, the Office of the Indiana Attorney General has received nearly 3,000 complaints from consumers reporting IRS impersonation scams. In total, Hoosiers have lost more than $30,000 to IRS impersonation scams this year.
Identifying IRS scams:
- If a person calls your home or mobile device claiming to be with the IRS demanding immediate payment of past-due taxes.
- If the caller uses fear tactics, claiming that you owe tax money and if it is not paid, a warrant will be issued for your arrest.
- If the caller requests money in the form of pre-paid cards or iTunes cards to pay off your debt. The scammer can retrieve money by using the PIN number from an iTunes card to buy digital content and download it from any location.
- If the caller threatens that you will lose your home if the debt is not paid on time.
If you receive a call like this, hang up immediately. Do not engage with the caller. Know that the IRS will always contact consumers first through official correspondence by mail. Additionally, the IRS will never ask for credit card, debit card or prepaid card information over the phone.
Reporting IRS scams:
- Call the IRS at 1.800.829.1040 to confirm it was a scam.
- Report the scam to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration here, call1.800.366.4484, or e-mail phishing@irs.gov (Subject line should read: “IRS Phone Scam”).
- Report to the Federal Trade Commission here (Mention “IRS Telephone Scam” in the comments section).
For more information about IRS scams and other scams affecting Indiana consumers, visitwww.IndianaConsumer.com
