Victims are told they owe money to the IRS and it must be paid promptly through a pre-loaded debit card or wire transfer. If the victim refuses to cooperate, they are then threatened with arrest, deportation or suspension of a business or driver's license. In many cases, the caller becomes hostile and insulting.
"This scam has recently hit taxpayers in the Southeast Region. We encouraged taxpayers to guard against being misled by unscrupulous individuals trying to persuade them to give out their social security numbers and personal financial information. The IRS does not and will not ask for credit card numbers over the phone, nor request a pre-paid debit card or wire transfer," said IRS Spokesman Mark S. Green.
"If someone unexpectedly calls claiming to be from the IRS and threatens police arrest, deportation or license revocation if you don't pay immediately, that is a sign that it really isn't the IRS calling. The first IRS contact with taxpayers on a tax issue is likely to occur via mail. Don't let yourself get involved in a tax scam or be bullied by a Con artists", said Green.
Other characteristics of this scam include:
*Scammers use fake names and IRS badge numbers. They generally use common names and surnames to identify themselves.
*Scammers may be able to recite the last four digits of a victim's Social Security Number.
*Scammers spoof the IRS toll-free number on caller ID to make it appear that it's the IRS calling.
*Scammers sometimes send bogus IRS emails to some victims to support their bogus calls.
*Victims 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 DMV, and the caller ID supports their claim.
If you get a phone call from someone claiming to be from the IRS, here's what you should do:
*If you know you owe taxes or you think you might owe taxes, call the IRS at 800-829-1040. The IRS employees at that line can help you with a payment issue
http://accesswdun.com/article/2014/1/269995