Police say the IRS will also not call you for information. “The IRS will never call your telephone, period”. The IRS is aware of them and urges the public to stay alert for the phone calls. They may also leave “urgent” callback requests through phone “robo-calls”, or via a phishing email.
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He cautioned that people shouldn’t engage in a conversation with scammers because they’re often recording the calls, looking to get any personal information from the caller because they can sell it to other scam artists. The callers use IRS titles and fake badge numbers to appear legitimate.
Over a two-year period beginning in October 2013, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) reported approximately 4,550 victims nationwide lost more than $23 million in these IRS scams.
The IRS will never call you demanding immediate payment and will not call you if you owe taxes without first sending you a bill in the mail.
As local residents report getting scam phone calls from people claiming to be IRS agents, the federal agency is reminding people it will not initiate contact on any proceeding by phone.
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· Demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe. You’ll never be required to pay your taxes only by credit card or prepaid debit card, or ask for your credit or debit card numbers over the phone. The calls are going to businesses as well as residences, some of which come in as a recording with caller ID showing “IRS Washington”.
