Q. This IRS phone scam persists; when is it going away?
A. Yes, as we start gearing up for the typical busy fraud and scam activity at tax season, the Better Business Bureau is again warning consumers about a phone scam that includes demands for money and threats of jail time.
The BBB is still receiving phone calls from local consumers who have been contacted by someone claiming to be from the IRS saying the consumer owes money and it must be paid promptly. Consumers are instructed to buy a preloaded debit card or wire transfer funds to pay the debt. If the victim refuses to cooperate they are threatened with arrest, deportation or suspension of business or driver’s license. The caller often times becomes very demanding, hostile and insulting. The caller’s approach is intimidation and fear associated with the name, Internal Revenue Service.
The BBB wants consumers to know that the IRS will never ask you for credit card numbers over the phone Wor request a prepaid debit card or wire transfer. The IRS will most likely contact taxpayers via mail in regards to tax issues.
These callers are simply trying to scare consumers into paying them money they do not owe.
Some other characteristics of this scam:
Scammers use fake names and IRS badge numbers.
Scammer may actually have the last four digits of your Social Security number.
Scammers can spoof IRS phone numbers making it appear the call is really from the IRS.
Victims can hear background noises of other calls being conducted to mimic a call site.
After threatening jail time or deportation, scammers hang up and soon call back pretending to be from the local police to help support their claim.
Never trust callers who use threats and hostility to bully their targets into doing what they want. This is a scare tactic many scammers use.
The BBB recommends the following if you receive a similar type call:
If you know you owe taxes or think you might owe taxes, call the IRS or your accountant.
If you know you don’t owe taxes, call and report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 800-366-4484 or www.treasury.gov.
If you’ve been targeted by this scam you also should contact the Federal Trade Commission and use their complaint assistant at www.FTC.gov.
Also report your experience to the BBB so we can track the activity and warn others.
If you are not sure if the call is legitimate or not, contact the BBB at 800-548-4456 or 423-266-0396. Report online at www.bbb.org.
Jim Winsett is president of the Better Business Bureau in Chattanooga.