Police warn of tax scam targeting elderly

The caller claims to be the IRS and tells people there is a warrant out for their arrest, or that an amount of money is owed to the IRS.

TAP is a volunteer board that advises the IRS on systemic issues affecting taxpayers.

“There is a lawsuit filed against you by the Internal Revenue Service”, said one of the calls that DeVore saved on his answering machine. The public is advised to remain alert as many of these calls continue long after tax filing is over, explained Daniel O’Bannon, director of the Utah Division of Consumer Protection. Individuals are then told that if they do not call back with payment, they will be taken to jail.

If you get a call from an alleged IRS employee utilizing any of the above tactics to request payment, immediately hang up on them and don’t share any personal information.

“The IRS will never, ever contact you by telephone if you owe money”, Giani said. Since October 2013, more than 1,000 California residents have lost $6.4 million; in NY, 534 people have lost $2.4 million, and 444 Texans reported losing almost $2 million to fraudsters.

However, officials at the Oklahoma State Treasurer’s Office say the calls are not legitimate and are coming from NY. Utah’s losses put the Beehive State at #20 nationally for IRS scams.

Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.

Below are five actions the IRS would never employ when contacting a person about their taxes.

Threaten to bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying. IRS workers can help you.