The Characteristics of an IRS Tax Scam

It is now less than 30 days until Tax Day, which means that IRS scams are also in full swing.  Many of these calls can be convincing:  they spoof the IRS name on your Caller ID, they may even be able to tell you the last four digits of your social security number, and they may even follow up with an email even if you never gave them your email address.

The IRS's website lists five things that the IRS will never do.  In summary:

1) Call to demand immediate payment, nor will we call about taxes owed without first having mailed you a bill.
2) Demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe.
3) Require you to use a specific 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 groups to have you arrested for not paying.

As a follow up, The IRS does not accept credit or debit cards directly (they only accept them through a third-party processor), so someone calling from the IRS would never ask for a card number. They will also never ask you to pay with a pre-paid debit card or a wire transfer.  The IRS will also never contact you through an unsolicited email, text message, or social media message.

If you are concerned that you may owe taxes, you can call the IRS at 1-800-829-1040.  If you have been contacted by an IRS scam (even if you did not fall for it), you can contact the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 1-800-366-4484.