TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – Thousands of taxpayers have fallen for it, losing more than $36 million.
Scammers call with a nonsense story, claiming they are the IRS. They demand that you pay back-taxes right now. They threaten hefty fines or jail time.
Sometimes, they ask to be paid in a ridiculous way, with gift cards.
As crazy as this scam sounds, crooks wouldn’t try if it didn’t work. The IRS reports more than 6,400 people have fallen for this scam.
Until now, consumer advise was simple and direct: hang up because the IRS does not cold call. They don’t demand money without prior notice. But, some of that advice is changing.
Changes in IRS tax codes, initiated and approved by Congress, take affect this spring, allowing some third-party debt collectors to call you to collect old debt. There are only four agencies approved to do this: Conserve, Pioneer, Performant, and CBE Group.
This change, consumer advocates warn, could help scammers make their bogus stories more believable. But, there are ways to tell the difference between the scammers and the real calls.
“The likelihood of anyone from the internal revenue service picking up the phone and calling anybody as a surprise doesn’t exist,” said Tampa tax attorney William Kalish.
What should you do if the “IRS” does call? Probably hang up, Kalish said.
“If there’s any concern, say, “please have your superior send me something in writing in a letter,'” he said.
Consumer advocates also recommend that you check the phone number of the person calling you online to determine if the number is associated with the IRS or one of the companies authorized to collect debt.
