WESTFIELD – The Westfield Detective Bureau doesn’t want residents becoming victims of IRS (Internal Revenue Service) scams this tax season.
“The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) urged taxpayers to remain on ‘High Alert’ and announced additional outreach efforts to prevent them from falling victim to criminals who impersonate Internal Revenue Service and Treasury employees this filing season,” according to a January 20 release on the treasury.gov website.
“’The phone fraud scam has become an epidemic, robbing taxpayers of millions of dollars of their money,’ said J. Russell George, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. ‘We are making progress in our investigation of this scam, resulting in the successful prosecution of some individuals associated with it over the past year,'” according to treasury.gov.
The Westfield Detective Bureau posted the following tips on its Facebook page:
The IRS generally first contacts people by mail – not by phone – about unpaid taxes and the IRS will not ask for payment using a prepaid debit card, a money order or wire a transfer. The IRS also will not ask for a credit card number over the phone.
The callers who commit this fraud often:
• Utilize an automated robocall machine.
• Use common names and fake IRS badge numbers.
• May know the last four digits of the victim’s Social Security Number.
• Make caller ID information appear as if the IRS is calling.
• Aggressively demand immediate payment to avoid being criminally charged or arrested.
• Claim that hanging up the telephone will cause the immediate issuance of an arrest warrant for unpaid taxes.
• Send bogus IRS e-mails to support their scam.
• Call a second or third time claiming to be the police or department of motor vehicles, and the caller ID again supports their claim.
If you get a call from someone claiming to be with the IRS asking for a payment, here’s what to do:
• If you owe Federal taxes, or think you might owe taxes, hang up and call the IRS at 800-829-1040. IRS workers can help you with your payment questions.
• If you do not owe taxes, fill out the “IRS Impersonation scam” form on TIGTA’s website, www.tigta.gov, or call TIGTA at 800-366-4484.
• You can also file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at www.FTC.gov. Add “IRS Telephone Scam” to the comments in your complaint.
TIGTA encourages taxpayers to be alert to phone and e-mail scams that use the IRS name. The IRS will never request personal or financial information by e-mail, text, or any social media. You should forward scam e-mails to [email protected]. Do not open any attachments or click on any links in those e-mails.
Since October 2013, there have been more than 5,000 victims who have collectively paid more than $26.5 million as a result of IRS scams, according to treasury.gov.
Staff Writer Christine Charnosky can be reached at [email protected]
