Phone Scams Continue

It is important to us at BPW to keep our clients and community apprised of not only important industry updates but also issues that will protect your confidential information. In a recent news release, the IRS stated that telephone scams continue to be reported from taxpayers. These scammers pretend to be calling on behalf of the IRS, demanding payment and the release of sensitive information.

Fake phone calls, emails and text messages inform taxpayers that the IRS wants to talk to them about their tax returns, which makes most people feel on edge and less guarded about security.

While tax season encourages these thieves, the IRS wants taxpayers to remember, just because the April 15^th deadline has passed, the scams have not slowed down. In its guidance, (IR-2014-53), the tax agency reminds the public:

The IRS will always send taxpayers a written notice 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.

Frequent targets may include recent immigrants who may be seen as more vulnerable. Victims are often threatened with deportation, arrest, having their utilities shut off or having their driver’s licenses revoked. Callers may be insulting or hostile, apparently to scare potential victims into cooperating.

In other variations of the fraud, potential victims may be told they are entitled to big refunds, or conversely, they may be told that they owe money which must be paid immediately to the IRS. Some taxpayers have also received fraudulent IRS phone calls informing victims about lottery or sweepstakes winnings, or soliciting donations for debt relief funds related to a well-publicized disaster, such as a flood or hurricane. Scam artists who are unsuccessful the first time may call back with a new strategy.

The IRS lists other common characteristics of this type of phone scam to watch for:

• The perpetrators use fake names and IRS badge numbers. They generally use common names and surnames to identify themselves.

• They may be able to recite the last four digits of a victim’s Social Security number.

• They spoof the IRS toll-free number on caller ID to make it appear that it’s the IRS calling.

• They sometimes send bogus IRS e-mails to some victims to support their bogus calls.

• Victims may hear background noise of other calls being conducted to mimic a call site.

• After threatening victims with jail time or driver’s license revocation, scammers hang up and others soon call back pretending to be from the local police or Department of Motor Vehicles, and the caller ID supports their claim.

If you’ve been targeted by this scam, you can contact the Federal Trade Commission and use its “FTC Complaint Assistant” at FTC.gov. Please add the words “IRS Telephone Scam” to the comments of your complaint.

If you receive an e-mail claiming to be from the IRS, do not open any attachments to such an e-mail, and do not click on any links within the e-mail. Instead, forward the message to phishing@irs.gov.

As always, we are here to help you. Should you have any questions or concerns about the IRS telephone scams, feel free to contact us at (805) 963-7811.