IRS Impersonation Scam
Income Tax Season Scam: IRS Impersonation
As income tax season approaches, taxpayers must remain vigilant about a growing scam where criminals impersonate IRS agents to steal money and personal information.
About the Scam
This telephone scam involves criminals posing as IRS agents to gain access to sensitive information such as bank account details, credit card information, and prepaid money cards.
Here’s how the scam works:- You receive a call from a number that may or may not show IRS on the caller ID.
- The caller claims to be an IRS agent, providing information that sounds plausible, including an official title and badge number.
- The caller asserts that you owe a substantial debt to the IRS and demands immediate payment via wire transfer, prepaid debit cards, iTunes cards, or money orders. The urgency is stressed, sometimes with threats of imminent arrest.
- If you hesitate or question the caller, they become aggressive and threatening, claiming arrest, loss of your driver’s license, or deportation.
- These criminals may also leave voicemail messages with the same urgent tone, claiming the matter is from the IRS.
- A variation of this scam involves the caller claiming that you are entitled to a refund and requesting your personal and bank details. If you don’t respond quickly enough, they threaten to withhold the refund.
How to Report the Scam
If you’ve received one of these calls, it’s important to report it to help agencies track the scam. One agency to contact is the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), which investigates IRS-related fraud and ensures the IRS is held accountable for collecting taxes.
Another agency to contact is the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which handles complaints about deceptive or unfair business practices affecting consumers.
As always, staying informed is your best defense. Scammers rely on surprising uninformed victims into making hasty decisions.
Read more about this scam: Is it really the IRS? and Pay your tax debts safely