PSA- Phone Scam

Phone Scams Remain on IRS “Dirty Dozen” List of Tax Scams The IRS will never: * Call to demand immediate payment, nor will the agency call about taxes owed without first having mailed you a bill. * Demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe. * Require you to use a specific payment method for your taxes, such as a prepaid debit card. * Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone. * Threaten to bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying. WASHINGTON — Aggressive and threatening phone calls by criminals impersonating IRS agents remain a major threat to taxpayers, headlining the annual "Dirty Dozen" list of tax scams for the 2016 filing season, the Internal Revenue Service announced today. "There are many variations. The caller may threaten you with arrest or court action to trick you into making a payment,” Koskinen added. “Some schemes may say you're entitled to a huge refund. These all add up to trouble. Some simple tips can help protect you." Scammers make unsolicited calls claiming to be IRS officials. They demand that the victim pay a bogus tax bill. They con the victim into sending cash, usually through a prepaid debit card or wire transfer. They may also leave “urgent” callback requests through phone “robo-calls,” or via a phishing email. Many phone scams use threats to intimidate and bully a victim into paying. They may even threaten to arrest, deport or revoke the license of their victim if they don’t get the money. Scammers often alter caller ID numbers to make it look like the IRS or another agency is calling. The callers use IRS titles and fake badge numbers to appear legitimate. They may use the victim’s name, address and other personal information to make the call sound official. [Full] Got the first call a few weeks ago; very threatening voice-.  After ignoring the second call that day they stopped.  Today, sane thing but different people; but still threatening. After the second call no more ... so far.  There are  lot of people out there who are intimidated.  You know some like that, so warn them.