How to Deal with an IRS Phone Scammer
Realize that it's not really the IRS trying to reach you., If they mention the word "lawsuit", this is also a scam: If you're ever being sued by anyone, you would get served papers from your local sheriff's office and you would never receive a...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Realize that it's not really the IRS trying to reach you.
The Internal Revenue Service will contact you by mail if there's a problem, never by telephone, e-mail, or text message.
They will also never call to demand immediate payment using a specific payment method such as a prepaid debit card, gift card or wire transfer, threaten to immediately bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested, threaten to take your drivers license, or do any of the many other tactics scammers take advantage of.
Furthermore, if you did owe money, you would first get a bill in the mail and told that the only way you'd be able to pay is by check, made payable to the US Treasury. -
Step 2: If they mention the word "lawsuit"
They would just simply show up at your door, arrest you and take you to the police station.
You should also realize that the IRS will never sue you for any reason whatsoever as this is something that's not under their authority., If they try to pressure you to give your name, address or alternate phone number, just hang up.
If you do, scammers might use the information you provide them and use that to commit forms of identity theft, such as filing a fake tax return in your name or committing identity theft in your name.
Besides, if they're really from the IRS, wouldn't it seem unusual if you're being asked for personal information when they "should" already know this because of your tax returns? , Sometimes, they may say they've audited your recent return, or taken a look at your tax files and claim you owe back taxes or they'll claim there's a problem on the return.
And sometimes, they might say they had already tried reaching you by mail and the Postal Service returned the letters as "undeliverable".
Either way, they may tell you that you owe a specific amount of money (sometimes it could be a very hefty fine).
They won't mention, however, your right to appeal such a decision.
After completing the reasons behind their call, they'll tell you that to ensure you don't get arrested and the "doom and gloom" punishments won't happen to you, you're told you have to pay a large sum on money with a prepaid debit card, wire transfer, gift card, etc.
They'll then give you instructions for where to get the money and pay the large sum to "clear this up". , Scammers will often "spoof" the caller ID to make it look like someone from Washington DC is trying to reach you.
Sometimes, they'll often spoof caller ID's from areas across the country to make you think a different branch of the IRS is trying to reach you.
This tactic is usually done so law enforcement will find trying to reach the scammers very, very difficult.
Make sure you take note of the phone number; even if the number provided doesn't match what the real IRS Phone number is., You must hold firm in the sense that everything that scammers will tell you are punishments that the real IRS will never discuss with you., If you file a complaint with the Treasury Department's Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) or the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), they'll want to know everything you can remember about the call.
And by that, they'll need to know what they told you, how much did you "owe" them, how did they instruct you to pay, etc., If the caller claims you're going to be arrested, realize that the real IRS will never threaten to bring in police or other forms of law enforcement to have you arrested.
Don't believe them if they say they'll get you kicked out of the country, take away your drivers license, or seize your property.
Those are simply scare tactics to get you to pay up fast., If the caller insists you pay immediately with a debit card, cashiers check or a wire transfer, know that the real IRS will never ask you to pay a tax bill using these untraceable methods.
Neither will they ask for credit card information over the phone.
They will also not insist that you pay your "tax bill" with prepaid gift cards from companies like iTunes, Amazon, Greendot, etc.
Remember:
Once you send the money, that's it.
You can never, ever get the money back., Report the call immediately to TIGTA or the FTC.
Contact TIGTA online at treasury.gov/tigta and fill out their form for reporting a scam.
Contact the FTC online at FTC.gov or call them toll-free at 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357)., Even if you know they didn't receive the phone call themselves, it's very important that they are warned about this right away so this way, you could potentially prevent more people from falling victim to the IRS Scam.
And the more people know about this scam, the less victims these scammers might snare in their trap. -
Step 3: this is also a scam: If you're ever being sued by anyone
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Step 4: you would get served papers from your local sheriff's office and you would never receive a "heads up call" from law enforcement informing you of an impending lawsuit or an imminent arrest.
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Step 5: Never give the caller any personal information.
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Step 6: Listen for phony excuses.
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Step 7: Realize the phone number they're calling from is not the number of the IRS.
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Step 8: Realize the scare tactics the scammers tell you is not under the real IRS's authority: The scammers will often get you to pay up fast by threatening to have you arrested
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Step 9: take away your drivers license (or business license)
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Step 10: get you kicked out of the country
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Step 11: Write down everything you can find out about the caller.
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Step 12: Hold firm in ignoring them.
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Step 13: Do not wire any money.
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Step 14: Hang up as soon as possible.
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Step 15: Warn your friends.
Detailed Guide
The Internal Revenue Service will contact you by mail if there's a problem, never by telephone, e-mail, or text message.
They will also never call to demand immediate payment using a specific payment method such as a prepaid debit card, gift card or wire transfer, threaten to immediately bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested, threaten to take your drivers license, or do any of the many other tactics scammers take advantage of.
Furthermore, if you did owe money, you would first get a bill in the mail and told that the only way you'd be able to pay is by check, made payable to the US Treasury.
They would just simply show up at your door, arrest you and take you to the police station.
You should also realize that the IRS will never sue you for any reason whatsoever as this is something that's not under their authority., If they try to pressure you to give your name, address or alternate phone number, just hang up.
If you do, scammers might use the information you provide them and use that to commit forms of identity theft, such as filing a fake tax return in your name or committing identity theft in your name.
Besides, if they're really from the IRS, wouldn't it seem unusual if you're being asked for personal information when they "should" already know this because of your tax returns? , Sometimes, they may say they've audited your recent return, or taken a look at your tax files and claim you owe back taxes or they'll claim there's a problem on the return.
And sometimes, they might say they had already tried reaching you by mail and the Postal Service returned the letters as "undeliverable".
Either way, they may tell you that you owe a specific amount of money (sometimes it could be a very hefty fine).
They won't mention, however, your right to appeal such a decision.
After completing the reasons behind their call, they'll tell you that to ensure you don't get arrested and the "doom and gloom" punishments won't happen to you, you're told you have to pay a large sum on money with a prepaid debit card, wire transfer, gift card, etc.
They'll then give you instructions for where to get the money and pay the large sum to "clear this up". , Scammers will often "spoof" the caller ID to make it look like someone from Washington DC is trying to reach you.
Sometimes, they'll often spoof caller ID's from areas across the country to make you think a different branch of the IRS is trying to reach you.
This tactic is usually done so law enforcement will find trying to reach the scammers very, very difficult.
Make sure you take note of the phone number; even if the number provided doesn't match what the real IRS Phone number is., You must hold firm in the sense that everything that scammers will tell you are punishments that the real IRS will never discuss with you., If you file a complaint with the Treasury Department's Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) or the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), they'll want to know everything you can remember about the call.
And by that, they'll need to know what they told you, how much did you "owe" them, how did they instruct you to pay, etc., If the caller claims you're going to be arrested, realize that the real IRS will never threaten to bring in police or other forms of law enforcement to have you arrested.
Don't believe them if they say they'll get you kicked out of the country, take away your drivers license, or seize your property.
Those are simply scare tactics to get you to pay up fast., If the caller insists you pay immediately with a debit card, cashiers check or a wire transfer, know that the real IRS will never ask you to pay a tax bill using these untraceable methods.
Neither will they ask for credit card information over the phone.
They will also not insist that you pay your "tax bill" with prepaid gift cards from companies like iTunes, Amazon, Greendot, etc.
Remember:
Once you send the money, that's it.
You can never, ever get the money back., Report the call immediately to TIGTA or the FTC.
Contact TIGTA online at treasury.gov/tigta and fill out their form for reporting a scam.
Contact the FTC online at FTC.gov or call them toll-free at 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357)., Even if you know they didn't receive the phone call themselves, it's very important that they are warned about this right away so this way, you could potentially prevent more people from falling victim to the IRS Scam.
And the more people know about this scam, the less victims these scammers might snare in their trap.
About the Author
Michelle Bell
A passionate writer with expertise in practical skills topics. Loves sharing practical knowledge.
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