If the IRS Calls You, ONLY Give Them our Phone Number!

We just received another call from one of our clients who gave out personal information to scammers claiming to be from the IRS.  Apparently they have been targeting the Lemoore area pretty heavily.  Dealing with the IRS is part of the service that we provide to you as a Bressler & Company client.  If you receive any calls from people claiming to be from the IRS, simply give then our phone number (599-924-1225), and hang up if they persist.

The Internal Revenue Service has issued a number of scam alerts this year which we have included in our newsletters and blogs online.   We will repeat the latest one here.

IRS Scam Alert: Five Easy Ways to Spot Suspicious Phone Calls From People Claiming to be from the IRS

These callers may demand money or may say you have a refund due and try to trick you into sharing private information.  These con artists can sound convincing when they call.  They may know a lot about you, and they usually alter the caller ID to make it look like the IRS is calling.  They use fake names and bogus IRS identification badge numbers.  If you don’t answer, they often leave an “urgent” callback request.

“These telephone scams are being seen in every part of the country, and we urge people not to be deceived by these threatening phone calls,” IRS Commissioner John Koskinen said. “We have formal processes in place for people with tax issues.  The IRS respects taxpayer rights, and these angry, shake-down calls are not how we do business.”

The IRS reminds people that they can know pretty easily when a supposed IRS caller is a fake.  Here are five things the scammers often do that the IRS WILL NOT DO!  Any one of these five things is a tell-tale sign of a scam.

The IRS will never:

• Call you about taxes you owe without first mailing you an official notice.
• Demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe.
• Require you to use a specific payment method for your taxes, such as a prepaid debit card.
• Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.
• Threaten to bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.

If you get a phone call from someone claiming to be from the IRS and asking for money, here’s what you should do:

If you know you owe taxes or think you might owe, call the IRS at 1.800.829.1040. The IRS workers can help you with a payment issue.

If you know you don’t owe taxes or have no reason to believe that you do, report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) at 1.800.366.4484 or at www.tigta.gov.

You can file a complaint using the FTC Complaint Assistant; choose “Other” and then “Imposter Scams.” If the complaint involves someone impersonating the IRS, include the words “IRS Telephone Scam” in the notes.

Remember, too, the IRS does not use unsolicited email, text messages or any social media to discuss your personal tax issue.  For more information on reporting tax scams, go to www.irs.gov and type “scam” in the search box.

If you get an email from someone claiming to be from the IRS, forward it to:  phishing@irs.gov and NEVER click on the imbedded link.

If you have already given out your personal credit card or bank account information, call your bank or credit card immediately and have them cancel your card or put a hold on your account before you do anything else.  The phone number to contact them is usually on the back of your bank or credit card and sometimes your branch phone number is on your checks.

Again, if you are a Bressler & Company client, we will handle all the questions regarding your taxes with the IRS for you.  Simply give the caller our phone number (599-924-1225), and hang up.

And, if you have any questions about this article, give us a call and we would be happy to discuss with you.