IRS Phone Scam

Recently, a resident of New Britain was targeted by an IRS-Impersonation Telephone Scam. The resident immediately notified the New Britain Police Department of the issue. The New Britain Police Department wishes to share some information with its residents to prevent any further victimization. The information below was derived directly from the IRS website http://www.irs.gov/uac/Tax-Scams-Consumer-Alerts. Please take note of the material below and never ever give out any personal information over the phone.

An aggressive and sophisticated phone scam targeting taxpayers, including recent immigrants, has been making the rounds throughout the country. Callers claim to be employees of the IRS, but are not. These con artists can sound convincing when they call. They use fake names and bogus IRS identification badge numbers. They may know a lot about their targets, and they usually alter the caller ID to make it look like the IRS is calling. 

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.

Or, victims may be told they have a refund due to try to trick them into sharing private information.

If the phone isn't answered, the scammers often leave an “urgent” callback request.

Note that the IRS will never: 1) call to demand immediate payment, nor will the agency call about taxes owed without first having mailed you a bill; 2) demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe; 3) require you to use a specific payment method for your taxes, such as a prepaid debit card; 4) ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone; or 5) threaten to bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.

These scam artist work predominately out of the country, making detection, prosecution, and recovery of money lost practically impossible. If someone calls your home, claims to work for the IRS and demands money, immediately hang up. Do not engage the person in conversation. Your local phone carrier can provide information on how to block the call or merely ignoring future calls will deter the scammer from pursuing you.