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News from Seniors And Law Enforcement Together (SALT)

Beware of Tax Telephone Scams

Now that tax season is beginning again, local law enforcement and the Internal Revenue Service continue to warn the public to be alert for telephone scams.  These IRS scam phone calls are very frequent around the Quad Cities area and all over the United States.  These callers claim to be with the IRS. The scammers often demand money to pay taxes. Some may even try to con you by saying that you’re due a refund. The refund is a fake lure so you’ll give them your banking or other private financial information.

These con artists can sound convincing when they call. They may even know a lot about you. They may alter the caller ID to make it look like the IRS is calling. They use fake names and bogus IRS badge numbers. If you don’t answer, they often leave an “urgent” callback request.

The IRS respects taxpayer’s rights when working out payment of your taxes. So, it’s pretty easy to tell when a supposed IRS caller is a fake. Here are five things the scammers often do but the IRS will not do. Any one of these five things is a sign of a scam. The IRS does not:

1. Call you to demand immediate payment. We will not call about taxes you owe without first mailing you a bill.
2. Demand that you pay taxes without giving you the chance to question or appeal the amount they say you owe.
3. Require you to use a certain payment method for your taxes, such as a prepaid debit card.
4. Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.
5. Threaten to bring in local police or other law-enforcement to have you arrested for not paying.

If you get a phone call from someone claiming to be from the IRS and asking for money, here’s what to do:

• Hang up the phone immediately on the scam caller.
• Never give out any personal information over the telephone to someone you don’t know.
• Call your local law enforcement agency to report the scam phone call.
• For more information about Internal Revenue Service scams, please visit their website at:  www.irs.gov.