There is a new surge in IRS-related scams. Every week, we answer multiple calls and email from worried people who have just been “contacted by the IRS.” Folks, it was not the IRS. The two basic facts are:
- The IRS (or any other government agency, such as FBI or SSA) will never contact you by email
- The IRS will never call you unless you are deep in collection mess (and you would know if it was the case)
Any sudden “contact from the IRS” via email or phoce call is a scam. If in doubt – immediately hang up and call the IRS to check whether you do, in fact, have some outstanding issues. The main IRS line is 800-829-1040.
Identity theft
If you suspect you may be a victim of identity theft, the IRS has an informational page for ID theft victims, and a special help line 800-908-4490.
Phone and email scams
The IRS created a special page explaining various IRS-related scams. The list is huge and even somewhat entertaining. Criminals are creative, that is for sure. On that page, you can find warnings, tips, and instructions on reporting attempted scams. Among the tips, they clarify that the IRS
- will never call to demand immediate payment
- (MP comment: this is not entirely true. If you have been ignoring the IRS collection mail for some time, or if they do not have your correct mailing address, they may call you trying to collect. However, they do not issue demands and threats right off the bat. It will be more like – are you able to pay your debt right now? If not, are you ready to set up a payment plan? In other words, the real IRS will be persistent but not excessively aggressive like the scammers. As I said above – if in doubt, hang up and call 800-829-1040)
- will never call about taxes owed without first having mailed you a bill
- (MP comment: this assumes that the IRS has your correct mailing address on file. Otherwise, after a few failed attempts to reach you by mail, they will try to call you – if they have your phone numbers, of course)
- will never demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal
- (MP comment: this is not entirely true, either. Some IRS letters do look like a sudden demand, out of the blue, but they are letters – not phone calls or emails. And you can still contest those letters.)
- will never require you to use a specific payment method, such as a prepaid debit card
- will never ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone
- will never threaten to bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying
- (MP comment: and in general, nobody gets arrested or goes to jail for owing money to Uncle Sam. The IRS sure does have a lot of collection powers, but putting you behind bars is not one of them.)
Stay safe, my friends! If you need help with a real IRS problem – give us a call.