IRS Scammers are Online and On Your Phone

I got a call from one of our older listeners who wanted to know if a call she got from the "IRS" was real. Those dirty rotten scammers told her she owed the IRS money and she would be arrested if she did not pay.  She was very upset and I was very mad!

I told her it was a scam and to ignore whatever they told her.  Of course she is not the only one who has gotten such calls.  The scammers tell the victims they have to pay and threaten arrest, utility cut off, drivers license revocation, and in the case of immigrants, deportation.

A lot of smart people are recording these calls. If you have never gotten one listen up.  It is hard to believe the audacity of these scammers.  They tried to set up a drop at the Winn-Dixie!

Don’t You Fall For It! Don’t send them a check and don’t give out any personal information. Do not call any number they give you (Unless you want to record them).

There is also a new IRS e mail scam .  They send an e mail which appears to be from the IRS and includes a link to a bogus IRS web site.  These e mails tell you to update your IRS e-file immediately. The e mails mention USA.gov and IRSgov, though not IRS.gov (IRS-dot-gov). Don’t get scammed. These emails are not coming from the IRS.

Taxpayers who get these messages should not respond to the email or click on the links. Instead, they should forward the scam emails to the IRS at phishing@irs.gov. For more information, visit the IRS's Report Phishing web page.

You can also file a complaint using  FTC Complaint Assistant; choose “Other” and then “Imposter Scams”.  If the complaint involves someone impersonating the IRS, include the words “IRS Telephone Scam” in the notes.

If they call you telling you the IRS owes YOU money.  That's a scam too.  Don't get all happy and give them your bank account and social security number. Just report them.