IRS warns of new phone scam

irs phone scam
The IRS says people in nearly every state have been targeted by a new phone scam.

Taxpayers, beware: Fraudsters impersonating IRS agents are calling people across the country demanding they pay taxes that they don't even owe.

The IRS warned of this "pervasive" scam on Thursday, saying it has been identified in nearly every state.


"In many cases, the caller becomes hostile and insulting," the IRS said in a statement.

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These calls may be convincing, because the scammers use caller ID spoofing to make sure the IRS's toll-free phone number shows up on the caller ID, they make up bogus badge numbers and may know the last four digits of a victim's Social Security number. Sometimes victims will even hear background noise that sounds like a call center.

3 tax scams to avoid
3 tax scams to avoid

And if the victim hangs up, they may get another call seconds later from the same scammer -- or another one -- saying they are with the police or an agent at the DMV.


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You should also be immediately suspicious of any caller claiming to be from the IRS and demanding money, especially if you aren't aware that you owe anything. Nasty language and threats should also be a red flag.

"If someone unexpectedly calls claiming to be from the IRS and threatens police arrest, deportation or license revocation if you don't pay immediately, that is a sign that it really isn't the IRS calling," IRS Acting Commissioner Danny Werfel said in a statement.


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