IRS warns to void Tax Season Phone Scams

Filing season has just begun, and scammers are already trying to make life miserable for everyone else. While this isn’t a shocking turn for anyone who has been paying attention to the evolution of identity theft tax refund fraud, it’s a problem that everyone needs to be aware of nonetheless.

This week, the Internal Revenue Service is warning that identity thieves are posing as IRS agents in a wide range of scam phone calls. According to the agency, criminals are “posing as IRS agents in hopes of stealing taxpayer money or personal information.”

How will I know if a phone call from “the IRS” is actually a scam?

Identity thieves generally try to create a sense of urgency when they contact you. Their strategy is to put you in a state of fear or anxiety through threats or by offering deals that sound too good to be true. If these criminals set the hook, you might not realize it’s a scam until it’s too late. That’s why you and your clients must become familiar with the common types of bait in the phishing tackle box.

The IRS lists four things their agents will never do when contacting taxpayers:

• Call to demand immediate payment using a specific payment method such as a prepaid debit card, gift card, or wire transfer. Generally, the IRS will first mail a bill to any taxpayer who owes taxes. Threaten to immediately bring in local police or other law enforcement groups to have the taxpayer arrested for not paying.
• Demand that taxes be paid without giving taxpayers the opportunity to question or appeal the amount owed.
• Call unexpectedly about a tax refund.
  

While specifically cited concerning phishing calls, these tactics are also common in phishing emails and social media scams.