IRS SCAM LAWSUIT PHONE CALLS
The IRS has stated, "This scam has hit taxpayers in nearly every state in the country. We want to educate taxpayers so they can help protect themselves. Rest assured, we do not and will not ask for credit card numbers over the phone, nor request a pre-paid debit card or wire transfer," says IRS Acting Commissioner Danny Werfel.
Just over a month into this year's tax season, the Niles Police Department is advising people to beware of telephone scams where imposters are posing as IRS representatives attempting to collect cash from unwitting individuals. "Don't fall for this scam during tax season," Niles police Chief Luis Tigera said in a news release Tuesday warning of fraud schemes.
I decided to play along, knowing I would never give these scammers any information. So I called the number, and a person answered. "Hello, IRS," he said. I laughed into the phone and gave him a few choice words that cannot be repeated here.
Tax scam calls have soared 1,218 percent since last year, inundating American taxpayers with often threatening calls in the name of the Internal Revenue Service. Scammers use multiple methods to trick victims out of their money, according to Hiya, a phone spam protection company that analyzed the growth in tax scam calls made in January and February of this year versus 2017.
It's tax season, which means people all over the place are filing taxes, dreading filing taxes, or planning on how to spend their tax returns. However, scammers, con artists, crooks, thieves, and swindlers can take advantage of tax season to cheat people out of their hard-earned cash.
If you have received a call from someone claiming to be from the IRS, you are not alone. Tax scam calls have soared by over 1,200 percent this year, but that's not the only method these scammers are using.
Taxpayers need to be skeptical of phone calls, as scammers continue to pose as IRS agents in hopes of stealing money. These scam calls remain on the annual IRS "Dirty Dozen" list of tax scams for the 2018 filing season.
Tax scams happen all year long, but they're always more common during the tax filing season. See what the IRS says are the most common tax scams.
The IRS released its updated 2018 list of the top 12, or "Dirty Dozen," tax scams on Tuesday. Like last year's list, the biggest story this tax season was phishing attempts, with all types of taxpayers, businesses, and tax preparers being targeted.