Beware of IRS Phone Scammers

Beware of IRS Phone Scammers

September 15, 2016

This is speaking from Personal Experience. I received one of these calls about 2 months ago. BEWARE. 

Beware Scammers Claiming to Be the IRS

 

If you receive a voice or email message from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), or you field a phone call from an IRS agent informing you “you owe back taxes” and “you better pay now or be arrested (or deported),” you should assume it’s an IRS Imposter Scam. That’s true even if:1

  • The caller ID shows the “IRS” is calling
  • The “IRS agent” offers a badge number
  • The “IRS agent” knows the last four digits of your Social Security number

 

It’s a growing problem

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and IRS have been warning consumers about this scam for several years, but it seems to be happening more frequently. AARP Magazine reported:2

 

“…from 2013 to 2014, complaints about the ‘IRS Scam’ increased 20-fold, with more than 54,000 Americans being targeted in 2014. Fraudsters often target immigrants or older Americans [who are] less likely to have the knowledge or support system that would keep them from falling into the trap…after stoking the fires of fear, the bogus agent turns helpful, providing a solution that involves sending cash in a quick and untraceable way.”

 

Articles on the IRS and FTC websites assure Americans the real IRS will not contact taxpayers by telephone or email. If you owe taxes, the IRS will send you a letter by mail via the United States Postal Service (USPS). In addition, the IRS does not demand immediate payment. They send a bill, and they don’t specify how you should pay it.3

  

What should I do if I get a call?

If you receive a call, a voice mail, or an email message, the IRS offers this advice:3

  • Do not give out any personal information
  • Write down any details offered by the scammer such as the phone number, name, and badge number of the “agent”
  • Call the IRS at (800) 829-1040 to confirm the call was a fake
  • Report the call to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (tigta.gov)
  • Report the call to the FTC (ftc.gov)

 

No one wants to owe money to the IRS, and that is probably the reason scammers pretend to be IRS agents. It’s important to protect yourself by remaining alert and aware of common scams.

 

Sources:

1https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0519-irs-imposter-scams-infographic

2http://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/info-2015/phony-irs-scams.html

3https://www.irs.gov/uac/Newsroom/Phone-Scams-Continue-to-be-a-Serious-Threat,-Remain-on-IRS-Dirty-Dozen-List-of-Tax-Scams-for-the-2016-Filing-Season

4http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/arugula.html

5http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/roasted-asparagus-arugula-salad/print

6http://lemelson.mit.edu/news/high-school-teams-awarded-lemelson-mit-inventeam%E2%84%A2-grant-invention-projects

7http://www.popsci.com/tags/2015-invention-awards 

8http://www.american-historama.org/1913-1928-ww1-prohibition-era/inventions-in-the-1920s.htm

9http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/inventions/5-cool-inventions-from-the-1980s.htm

10http://inventors.about.com/od/timelines/a/modern_2.htm

11https://nccih.nih.gov/health/meditation/overview.htm#hed3

12http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/02/18/contemplation-therapy/?_r=0

 

Securities offered through LPL Financial, LLC, Member FINRA/SIPC.

 

This material was prepared by Peak Advisor Alliance. Peak Advisor Alliance is not affiliated with the named broker/dealer.

 

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