Identify theft is more prevalent than ever, and most of us have either been victims ourselves or know somebody that has. Some of the time, the damages are relatively minor – some time and effort spent canceling credit card accounts, and so forth. In other cases, the results can be devastating.
Identify theft is more prevalent than ever, and most of us have either been victims ourselves or know somebody that has. Some of the time, the damages are relatively minor – some time and effort spent canceling credit card accounts, and so forth. In other cases, the results can be devastating.
What does this have to do with the IRS?
IRS-themed identity theft is on the rise. Scammers pretend to be IRS agents, and use the fear and uncertainty that most taxpayers feel towards the agency against them. OC-Breeze.com, a California-based publications, reports:
The Internal Revenue Service has issued another strong warning for consumers to guard against sophisticated and aggressive phone scams targeting taxpayers, including recent immigrants, as reported incidents of this crime continue to rise nationwide. These scams won’t likely end with the filing season so the IRS urges everyone to remain on guard.
The IRS will always send taxpayers a written notification of any tax due via the U.S. mail. The IRS never asks for credit card, debit card or prepaid card information over the telephone. For more information or to report a scam, go to www.irs.gov and type “scam” in the search box.
People have reported a particularly aggressive phone scam in the last several months. Immigrants are frequently targeted. Potential victims are threatened with deportation, arrest, having their utilities shut off, or having their driver’s licenses revoked. Callers are frequently insulting or hostile – apparently to scare their potential victims.
Other characteristics of this scam include:
• Scammers use fake names and IRS badge numbers. They generally use common names
and surnames to identify themselves.
• Scammers may be able to recite the last four digits of a victim’s Social Security number.
• Scammers spoof the IRS toll-free number on caller ID to make it appear that it’s the IRS calling.
• Scammers sometimes send bogus IRS emails to some victims to support their bogus calls.
• Victims hear background noise of other calls being conducted to mimic a call site.
• After threatening victims with jail time or driver’s license revocation, scammers hang up and others soon call back pretending to be from the local police or DMV, and the caller ID supports their claim.
If you receive a call from someone claiming to be the IRS, don’t provide them with your personal information. Instead, call the agency back at 1-800-829-1040 to see if they have been attempting to get in contact with you. In addition, keep in mind that the IRS will never ask for sensitive information via email or social media. It may seem obvious, but many taxpayers are so fearful of the IRS that they’ll do anything a supposed IRS agent asks them to do. Don’t fall victim.
On the other hand, if you’re facing a legitimate IRS controversy, it’s important that you take immediate action. Understand that the IRS doesn’t let these things go –once they have clamped on to a taxpayer, they aren’t going to let go any time soon. Our experienced tax attorneys can help. We will represent your interests and ensure that the IRS plays by the rules. Best of all, we’ll take care of the correspondence with the IRS so that you can get back to enjoying your family and your life. Contact 844-841-9857 to learn more!