FRAUDULENT IRS CALLS STILL COMING

The following alert was sent out by the Abilene Better Business Bureau today.

FRAUDULENT IRS CALLS STILL COMING
  
Taxpayers continue to be bombarded by robo-calls claiming to be from the IRS.  This phone scam targets taxpayers and threatens them with arrest, deportation or license suspension if they do not immediately pay money they supposedly owe to the IRS.  Most recently, the calls are recordings stating that back taxes and penalties are due immediately and to prevent further action by the IRS you must call a phone number.  Payment is demanded through a pre-loaded debit card - green dot card, or wire transfer – Western Union. 

Do not become a victim of a fake IRS phone call; the Better Business Bureau has tips to help you avoid getting scammed:

•              Do not ever give out your financial information over the phone to anyone. The real IRS will not ask for financial information over the phone. Any contact from the IRS will be through direct mail.

•              Hang up the phone. If you are being asked for personal and financial information by someone claiming to be an IRS employee, simply hang up.

•              If you receive an email, do not click on anything within it. The emails that scammers send may include computer viruses that could harm your computer or access personal information.

•              Report the incident. If you are a victim of this scam, report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 1-800-366-4484. You should also contact the Federal Trade Commission and use their “FTC Complaint Assistant” Make sure to add “IRS Telephone Scam” to your comments.