Protect Yourself from Phone Scams!


        Phone Scams continue to be an ever-present threat to Taxpayers, and peak during Tax Season. This kind of attack, also known as vishing (voice phishing), starts with a phone call threatening arrest, deportation, or some other intimidation in order to pay a fake Tax debt. They try to bully the money out of victims. These may be robot-calls or made by an actual person. They can alter their caller ID to make it seem like they are calling from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Often, they have already stolen some Taxpayer information, such as the last four digits of their Social Security Number, to make themselves seem even more legitimate. However, there are a few ways that we can actively protect ourselves.

          If any of these interactions occur when you are dealing with someone who claims to be from the IRS, then know it is a scam. The IRS will never demand an immediate payment with a gift card or a prepaid debit card. Any payment details about a Tax debt will be mailed. A Taxpayer always has the right to appeal or question the amount that is owed. The IRS will not threaten to bring in local police for an unpaid Tax debt and will never call about an unexpected refund.

          These types of scams do change their tactics over time, but many basic parts stay the same. If you find yourself involved in a call like this, just hang up the phone. This will protect your information. Please send an email with the details of the encounter to the IRS at: phishing@irs.gov so they can keep up to date with the trends of these con artists.

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