BHT&D Certified Public Accountants Blog

Beware of Telephone Scams Claiming to be the IRS

Posted by Dwayne Houghton on Thu, Jun 19, 2014 @ 11:01 AM

IRS Telephone ScamsOn April 14, 2014, the IRS issued a warning about telephone scams. This is likely to be an ongoing issue. So, we wanted to make sure you were aware of this. The IRS article states:

"As the 2014 filing season nears an end, the Internal Revenue Service today issued another strong warning for consumers to guard against sophisticated and aggressive phone scams targeting taxpayers, including recent immigrants, as reported incidents of this crime continue to rise nationwide. These scams won’t likely end with the filing season so the IRS urges everyone to remain on guard.

The IRS will always send taxpayers a written notification of any tax due via the U.S. mail. The IRS never asks for credit card, debit card or prepaid card information over the telephone. For more information or to report a scam, go to www.irs.gov and type "scam" in the search box.

People have reported a particularly aggressive phone scam in the last several months. Immigrants are frequently targeted. Potential victims are threatened with deportation, arrest, having their utilities shut off, or having their driver’s licenses revoked. Callers are frequently insulting or hostile - apparently to scare their potential victims.

Potential victims may be told they are entitled to big refunds, or that they owe money that must be paid immediately to the IRS. When unsuccessful the first time, sometimes phone scammers call back trying a new strategy."

The article goes on to explain other characteristics of this scam and what to do if you receive one of these calls.

We recommend that you read the rest of the article here.

If you have any questions about this topic or need assistance, please request a complimentary accounting consultation with one of our CPAs or contact us at (616) 642-9467.

Tags: IRS, IRS Telephone Scams