For people who owe taxes, make payments to the U.S. The IRS will not ask for debit or credit card numbers over the phone. Note that the IRS does not:ĭemand that people use a specific payment method, such as a prepaid debit card, gift card or wire transfer. They’re demanding and threatening – and do not reflect how the IRS handles enforcement matters. They use fake names and phony IRS identification badge numbers. Imposters claim to be IRS employees and sound very convincing. Avoid telephone scamsĬriminals impersonate IRS employees and call taxpayers in aggressive and sophisticated ways. To tour a business, for example, as part of an audit or during criminal investigations.Įven then, taxpayers will generally first receive a letter or sometimes more than one letter, often called notices, from the IRS in the mail. To secure a delinquent tax return or a delinquent employment tax payment, or However, there are special circumstances in which the IRS will call or come to a home or business, such as: The IRS initiates most contacts with taxpayers through regular mail delivered by the U.S. Here are some important tips for taxpayers to keep in mind to avoid scams: How the IRS initiates contact The IRS urges people to stay vigilant against schemes and scams and avoid becoming a victim. These scammers will be aggressive and use threatening phone calls while impersonating IRS agents, and the scams remain a major threat to taxpayers.Crooks impersonating the IRS either by phone, email or in person cost people their time and money. The IRS reminds taxpayers that IRS impersonation scams continue year-round and that they tend to peak when scammers find prime opportunities to strike. So while it may seem obvious, here goes: Never, ever give out personal financial information - such as Social Security numbers or credit card and bank account numbers and passwords - to anyone who calls you, claiming to be from the IRS. To that point, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration reports that more than 10,000 victims have collectively paid in excess of $54 million as a result of phone scams since October 2013. The IRS representative said that, despite warnings, people still readily give out personal data and fall into the traps of these scammers. I contacted the IRS about the unsolicited call from the scammer who left the threatening message. Why investors can't gauge their own risk toleranceĬrazy tax moves clients wanted advisors to try for 2018ĭon't put all your financial eggs in one investment basket I then asked him for his name and his IRS identification number. Without hesitation, he asked me to give him my Social Security number so we could verify it with the one in my "case file." I questioned how the IRS can demand that I pay taxes without giving me the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say that I owe. I asked whom I was speaking with and also pointed out he had no idea whom he was talking to, because he never even asked my name - so how could he possibly know my "case file"? I started going through a menu of options and was actually transferred to a call center where a man began discussing my "case file" so he could help me avoid a lien being placed on my assets. I called back an hour later, and this time I got a recorded message stating that I had reached the IRS. I laughed into the phone and gave him a few choice words that cannot be repeated here. So I called the number, and a person answered. I decided to play along, knowing I would never give these scammers any information. Personal Loans for 670 Credit Score or Lower Personal Loans for 580 Credit Score or Lower Best Debt Consolidation Loans for Bad Credit
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