It’s tax season, which means the potential for scams increases greatly. The FBI has warned individuals of the possible scams that may arise, including individuals trying to impersonate the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) or the Treasury Department. In these situations, individuals will often make unsolicited phone calls or use robo-dialers to leave a message on the potential victim’s phone.
These scammers will often try to get money from individuals by claiming they owe money for unpaid taxes. They may demand money via cash payments, money orders, wire transfers, or debit cards. It is important to know what the IRS does and does not do when trying to collect money from someone. This can help you protect yourself from this kind of scam.
According to the IRS, they won’t make initial phone contact in order to inform an individual of unpaid taxes. They will usually first send out mail correspondence. Furthermore, the agency does not ask individuals to make payments using a prepaid debit card, wire transfer, or money order. If any person requests these actions of you or calls by telephone, it may be possible that it is a scam.
If you feel that you have been contacted by a scammer, you can reach out to the IRS to determine if the person who called is with the agency or not. The Treasury Department provides a form that you can fill out to file a report of IRS impersonation scam as well.
