Many of you have heard about a phone scam in which the caller pretends to be the IRS and threatens arrest if an unpaid tax bill isnt paid over the phone. The IRS contacted our office this week to let us know about a new twist in the scam. Heres what they sent us, and how you can protect yourself: I know we have talked about this topic many times, but the scam continues to change and claim more victims. If you could help us share just one message, it would be this: The Internal Revenue Service NEVER directs taxpayers to put money on a pre-paid card! (i.e. green dot) The calls can seem scary and legitimate at the beginning. They know your name, they know the last 4 digits of your SSN, and they reference a specific amount of money that you owe. They insist on immediate payment, even threatening arrest if you hang up! They sometimes keep victims on their cell phone the whole time they are going to the store and buying the pre-paid card! The latest twist is that they tell victims to show up with payment at a specific IRS office. It is not the one closest to the victim’s home. It is often an inconvenient 50 miles away. (Using the IRS office makes this seem more legitimate.) After the victim acquires the pre-paid card, the scammer “generously” offers to let them off the hook for the lengthy drive. They “permit” the victim to settle the debt by giving the scammer the numbers off the back of the card, without having to make the trip to the IRS office. We continue to hear heartbreaking stories of victims of this impersonation scam. The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) is actively following leads and making arrests. Victims are asked to report the information on-line at: treasury.gov/tigta/contact_report_scam.shtml To help the victim insure that they are really talking to TIGTA on follow up calls, taxpayers are asked to choose and memorize their own 5 digit PIN, which they will include when they make their report. In the event a TIGTA Special Agent contacts them about their complaint, the agent will know the personalized PIN.
Posted on: Fri, 31 Oct 2014 19:30:55 +0000
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