The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) have already issued warnings for the new tax filing season regarding individuals who impersonate IRS employees and demand money from taxpayers. Since October 2013, TIGTA has received reports of threatening phone calls made by scammers in every U.S. state. California taxpayers have been most affected by this type of scam, losing over $10 million to this crime.
“This is a crime of opportunity, so the best thing you can do to protect yourself is to take away the opportunity,” the Inspector General stated. “If someone unexpectedly calls claiming to be from the IRS and uses threatening language if you do not pay immediately, that is a sign that it is not the IRS calling, and your cue to hang up,” he said. “Again, do not engage with these callers. If they call you, hang up the telephone.”
For more information on how to prevent and report this scam, click here.
