IRS Phone Scam (What Should You Do?)

IRS scam sliderIRS Phone Scam (What Should You Do?)

ROBERTSON COUNTY: (Smokey Barn News)  Numerous calls have been coming into our tip-line from readers about an IRS phone scam. One reader sent us a recording of a call she received.  The scammer became mad and used profanity, a clear sign that the call had nothing to do with the IRS.

There’s little the police can do since most of the time the callers number is spoofed or it originates out of the country.

The goal of these scam calls is to convince you that you owe the IRS money and, unless you pay now, you are going to jail. They will sometimes ask for a credit-card number but most of the time they will ask for some kind of digital cash or Western Union payment.

The good news is that though it is possible to end up in jail due to tax debt, it will never start with a screaming, swearing phone call out of the blue. Let’s say that you think you might owe the IRS money and you receive a call. Just tell the caller that you will call them right back. Then all you have to do is look up the number for the IRS and call them yourself, never call the number the potential scammer provides.

Most people going to jail over IRS debt know it months or even years ahead of time. The scammers are betting on your fear of jail and the IRS, don’t fall for it.

IMPORTANT: OK, so you would never fall for such a scam, after all, you are tech savvy and very smart. The question then becomes, “Are all of your family members ready for such a call?” As the “smart” one,  it’s your job to check in with family members and first make sure it hasn’t happened already, then have a talk about what to do. Once the money is gone, it’s gone forever.

Did you or a family member get a scam call? Tell us about it in comments below or email us at [email protected] or call our news desk at 615-513-9844.

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Comments (2)

  1. Terri Crouch November 20, 2015
  2. Marian M. Bibb November 19, 2015
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