On January 22, 2015, the ABC Nightly News featured a news story about this IRS scam. In this scam, residents of the United States receive threatening phone calls that appear on their Caller ID's to be from the Internal Revenue Service. Apparently, about one out of one hundred people who receive one of these calls will succumb to it, often loosing a thousand dollars or more. In fact, this scam has already cost American taxpayers over $14 million that authorities know about ... and the amount is growing monthly.
The way it works is that the taxpayer receives a very aggressive phone call. They are threatened with jail if they do not immediately purchase pre-paid cards in amounts large enough to cover the owed "tax." Then, they are told to call a phone number they have been given and tell the phony "IRS agent" the numbers on the back of the pre-paid cards. Once they do that, the money is gone ... forever.
What You Should Know to Avoid the IRS Scam:
1. The IRS NEVER makes threatening phone calls.
2. The IRS will NOT call and threaten to put you in jail.
3. The IRS usually corresponds by mail, although they may occasionally call with a simple question. When they do, they will NOT ask for your Social Security number or other personal information.
4. The IRS will NOT ask you to make an immediate payment over the phone.
5. The IRS will NOT ask you to send them the numbers of pre-paid cash cards; nor will they ask you to give them a credit card number or a bank account number over the phone.
If you do get a call like this, hang up. If they used a phone number that showed up on your caller ID, write it down. Anytime something like this happens, call your local police or sheriff's department, as well as your local IRS office. Report as many details as possible everywhere you can.
You need to know, however, that the call probably came from a foreign country and you have almost no recourse. If you fall for it, once the money is gone there is no way to get it back. The caller will probably never go to jail. Your best defense is to play it smart and not fall for the scam in the first place.
Anytime you get a questionable call about your taxes, you need to hang up and call the IRS directly ... or contact your tax preparer and ask them to help you. If the IRS does have a legitimate question about your taxes, you will be much better off if you place the call, rather than discuss your personal information with a stranger who calls you.
Remember, it is always wise to be skeptical when you receive a phone call from a stranger. You never really know who is calling you.
You are reading from the blog: http://lies-and-liars.blogspot.com
Photo credit: www.morguefile.com
