These scammers seem official. Some know a lot of information about your personal information like the last four digits of your Social Security number. Some even give you a badge number and your caller ID appears to be a call from the IRS. These scams are often in the form of an e-mail or phone call.
With an IRS phone scam, you receive a call from someone claiming to be an IRS agent. They demand immediate payment via prepaid card or wire transfer and they threaten you with jail time, deportation or driver’s license suspension. However, the IRS will not contact you by phone or the Internet. The agency won’t call about taxes owed without first having mailed you a bill. Also, the IRS will never require you to pay your taxes by wire transfer or with a prepaid debit card. The IRS doesn’t require a specific type of payment.
According to the IRS and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), these types of scams have increased by more than 50,000 complaints nationally. From July 2013 to December 2014, complaints about these scams have increased by 89 percent according to the FTC. Locally, your BBB received about 34 calls from April 27-May 5 about IRS scams and continues to receive them.
To keep you safe from IRS scams, your BBB suggests these tips:
• Don’t provide personal information, including bank account numbers, credit card information or Social Security numbers over the phone, through the mail or Internet unless you have either initiated the contact or are sure you know who is asking.
• Avoid e-mails with incorrect grammar or wrong names from a federal agency, this is a red flag.
• Be sure web links go to the actual IRS website (www.irs.gov).
• Remember, the IRS won’t demand you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe.
• Keep in mind the IRS won’t threaten to bring local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.
• When in doubt, just hang up, turn off your computer, etc.
Remember, if you get a call like this, file a complaint with the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at (800) 366-4484 or go online to www.tigta.gov.
You can also file a complaint with the FTC at www.ftc.gov/complaint or contact the IRS directly at (800) 829-1040 or visit www.irs.gov.
If you have any questions regarding scams, you can always get help from your BBB. Also, you can get a list of BBB Accredited Businesses and Charities and Business Reviews on organizations you'd like to do business with. Visit www.bbb.org or call (937) 222-5825 or (800) 776-5301.
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