Scammers Pretending to Be IRS Employees Want to Steal Your Money

You are an honest taxpayer who always pays taxes on time. Regardless, you may have received alarming automated calls allegedly from the IRS demanding payment and threatening arrest. These are a scam. The IRS never calls taxpayers if they owe money without first sending a notification through the mail.
Typically, these scammers are sophisticated. Some, for example, actually use a real IRS toll-free number to scare you into believing their call is legitimate. The perpetrator may even refer you to a fake website, which looks official. Their attempt is to frighten you into believing you must pay them immediately. They usually demand victims use a pre-paid debit card, money order, wire transfer, or iTunes card. Unfortunately, the money they steal is almost impossible to detect because their demanded payment methods are difficult to trace.
According to a New York Times article dated July 23, 2018, the Justice Department claims over 15,000 Americans have lost hundreds of millions of dollars to these scams. More than 50,000 people have provided scammers their personal information, which scammers in turn misused. Today’s perpetrators employ Internet calling technology and high-tech dialing apparatus, which allows them to call anywhere free.
Everyone needs to understand the IRS never demands payment without enabling taxpayers to question or appeal their claim. The IRS does not demand payment via a specific method, nor asks for credit card information over the phone. In addition, the IRS never threatens legal action or arrest via telephone.
If you receive a fraudulent call, email phishing@irs.gov or contact our office. We will be happy to assist you.
Professional Tax Services is a locally owned provider serving over 3,500 local residents and businesses. For more information call 661-259-1967 or visit www.scvprotaxservices.com. Through their complimentary EZ2 Thrive program, they provide unlimited free tax planning advice to their clients.