Remember, every new policy or procedure from the IRS is another opportunity for scammers to try to take advantage of the situation and steal identity and/or money from individuals.
Some key things to remember is that the IRS will not contact you by , emailing or through social media channels to confirm information or ask for payment. The most common channel of IRS contact is by mail. There are special situations when the IRS may call or come to a home or business. These situations include overdue balances, criminal investigations or audits and sometimes late employment tax payments. Even in these situations, they will generally send several letters or IRS “notices” via regular mail before the visit or call occurs.
If someone representing an IRS agent does any of the following, do NOT fall for the scam:
- Calls demanding payment right away and through a certain payment method (Prepaid gift card, wire transfer, etc). The IRS normally first mails a bill to a taxpayer owing taxes
- Demands immediate payment and does allow you to question or debate the amount owed. You have rights as a taxpayer to know what you are paying and why, and to appeal if you do not feel it is fair or correct.
- Say they will have you arrested for not paying. Scammers sometimes say they will report you to the local police, immigration officers or other agencies for not paying. The IRS will not do this, they also are not allowed to change your immigration status, business licensing or driver’s license. Scammers like to try to scare their victims into giving out their information or payments by using tactics that the IRS would not be allowed to use.
IRS letters will always require that you make the check out to the United States Treasury. If you receive a letter asking that the check be made out to the “IRS” or another agency other than the United States Treasury, it is a scam. Don’t fall for it.
To report an attempted scam:
- Reach out to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration to report phone scams. Use this link “IRS Impersonation Scam Reporting” or call 800-366-4484.
- Phone scams can also be reported to the Federal Trade Commission using the “FTC Complaint Assistant” . Make sure you add IRS Telephone scam in the notes.
- Unsolicited email claims can be sent to phishing@irs.gov.
If you ever get a letter in the mail and you aren’t sure if it is from the IRS or not, you are always welcome to give Fleig Financials, LLC a call, we would be happy to look it over for you at no charge. Call Laura Fleig at 585 353-8096 to set up an appointment to bring the letter over.
Written by Laura R Fleig, June 8, 2020
Source: https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/how-to-know-its-really-the-irs-calling-or-knocking-on-your-door
