Community Alert — Scam Warning
Scam Warning
SUDPS has received several reports about individuals who are attempting to scam victims out of money by fraudulently claiming to be working for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Some of our community members have been victims of this scam in which the caller demands payment for back or missed taxes.
In one scam, the IRS impersonator has threatened the victim with arrest and the holding of their diploma if payment is not made. The scammer has been instructing victims to purchase hundreds of dollars in gift cards, most recently Apple Gift Cards. Once purchased, the victim is told to transfer the card numbers to the scammer.
The Internal Revenue Service website, https://www.irs.gov/uac/irs-urges-public-to-stay-alert-for-scam-phone-calls, adds that some scammers will threaten individuals with deportation.
The IRS will not:
• Call you to demand immediate payment. The IRS will not call you if you owe taxes without first sending you a bill in the mail.
• Demand that you pay taxes and not allow you to question or appeal the amount you owe.
• Require that you pay your taxes a certain way. For instance, require that you pay with a prepaid debit card.
• Ask for your credit or debit card numbers over the phone.
• Threaten to bring in police or other agencies to arrest you for not paying.
If you don’t owe taxes, or have no reason to think that you do:
• Do not give out any information. Hang up immediately.
• Contact TIGTA to report the call. Use their “IRS Impersonation Scam Reporting” web page. You can also call 800-366-4484.
• Report it to the Federal Trade Commission. Use the “FTC Complaint Assistant” on FTC.gov. Please add "IRS Telephone Scam" in the notes.
If you know you owe, or think you may owe tax:
• Call the IRS at 800-829-1040. IRS workers can help you.