A. First, my message is, don’t be afraid to be rude. One of the draws to living in the South is our “Southern hospitality.” We take great pride in showing our polite and respectful virtues; unfortunately, scammers are all too aware of this Southern hospitality. Scammers will jump at the chance to take advantage of your friendly nature any chance they can get, so remember it is OK when dealing with a potential scammer to just hang up the phone.
Note: Your question also is timely in that the IRS impersonation telephone scam has taken new life since January and is in high volume. Consumers must understand that the IRS will never: 1) call to demand immediate payment, nor will the agency call about taxes owed without first having mailed you a bill; 2) demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe; 3) require you to use a specific payment method for your taxes, such as a prepaid debit card; 4) ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone; or 5) threaten to bring in local police or other law enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.
The following are three common situations where you should not feel guilty if you have to interrupt a caller, just not give them the time of day, or simply just hang up.
1. An unknown caller is seeking your personal information. When you receive an unexpected phone call from someone seeking your personal or financial information, do not give it to them. Even if they are claiming to be from a government agency, most commonly the IRS or FBI. Some of these callers will not give up and continually try to seek personal information. Hang up and find a legitimate number yourself for the company or agency that has supposedly called you. Call them directly to verify they are trying to get in touch with you. This could be your bank, your phone company, your credit card company, your Internet service provider, or even a collection agency. If you have an account with any business that calls you, look directly on your statement or on the back of your card for a legitimate number.
2. The caller is threatening you. If you feel like you are being threatened or harassed, just hang up. Government agencies will never conduct themselves in this manner and they will not threaten to arrest you. Yes, some collection agencies and businesses that are seeking to receive payment on a late account may be aggressive; however, you will more than likely be aware if you have a past due balance and who it is with. If you know you are current on the account being called about, hang up and call them directly. If you are unsure if you owe an outstanding balance it is best to request they send you something in writing.