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August 15, 2024

Beware of Scammers Pretending to be IRS Agents

Scammers claiming to be IRS agents are becoming more sophisticated, and we hope the following will assist you in exercising caution should you be contacted.

Scammers may call, email, text, or even use social media to make you believe you owe delinquent taxes. They pretend to be IRS employees by providing you with a “badge” number, phony name, and even the IRS office they claim to work out of. They employ intimidation tactics that are often extreme including, but not limited to:

• A visit from a Sheriff
• Imprisonment
• Deportation

The Inspector General for the US Treasury estimates that victims of telephone scams alone have paid out over $29 million since October 2013, many of whom were seniors. Please use the following information should you receive such a call, text, email or be contacted on social media.

• The IRS will NEVER call you to demand immediate payment. In fact, the IRS will NEVER call you about taxes you owe without first sending written correspondence to you in the mail. Therefore, if you get a call, email or text that appears to be from the IRS and have NOT been contacted first by mail, it is absolutely fraudulent. If you do get something by mail and want to authenticate it, simply create an online account with IRS at the following website to find a copy of the letter or notice waiting in your account: https://www.irs.gov/payments/online-account-for-individuals.
• The IRS will NEVER demand that you pay delinquent taxes without affording you the opportunity to appeal or dispute the amount they say you owe.
• The IRS will NEVER demand that you pay taxes via a certain method (for example, a prepaid debit card, a common tactic of scammers). To check for appropriate methods of payments, visit https://www.irs.gov/payments.
• The IRS will NEVER ask for your credit or debit card number over the phone.
• The IRS will NEVER threaten you with imprisonment.

Report all phishing emails to phishing@irs.gov. It is also worth noting that you should check for other telltale signs of a phishing email, such as spelling errors, incorrect grammar, a link/attachment with a misspelled word in the URL or a message with an urgent or threatening tone. We also suggest checking the email address details on the originating email. They often will show a display name of something like irs.gov, but the email source address when expanded may indicate something different.

If you’ve actually suffered a monetary loss at the hands of a scammer, report it both to https://www.tigta.gov/hotline?type=IRSScamsandFraud and https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/.

We are here to help. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions.