WASHINGTON — This tax season has seen a surge in aggressive scammers calling up taxpayers nationwide. The callers claim to be with the IRS, say that a tax bill must be paid immediately, and threaten to send police to the victim’s door within the hour.
This week the IRS sent out a new warning about the scams, calling them “a major threat to taxpayers.”
The IRS says the scammers use the threat of arrest, court action or deportation to con victims into sending them cash, usually through a prepaid debit card or wire transfer.
In order to appear official, the calls can come from fake phone numbers which often include Washington, D.C.’s area code. Scammers may also already have some personal information about their targets.
The scams can also start through a phishing email; other variations involve scammers telling people they will be getting a large refund.
In a video released last month warning about the scams, Tim Camus, deputy inspector general for the Treasury Department, said Americans have lost more than $20 million to criminals impersonating IRS workers. “The real IRS will generally first make contact by letter, and will never demand immediate payment or threaten force,” he said.
Those who encounter what they believe to be a scam phone call should hang up immediately, and not give out any information. The scam attempts can be reported online to the Treasury Department and to the Federal Trade Commission.
