RENTON, Wash. — The Renton Police Department said it has been receiving reports from residents who are receiving scam calls from people who say they are from the IRS.
While there are a number of variations of IRS scam calls, the callers in the Renton incidents say the person owes the IRS money, and if they don’t pay, a warrant will be issued for their arrest.
In some scam calls, victims are told the money they owe must be paid through a pre-loaded debit card or wire transfer. The IRS says in many cases, the caller becomes hostile or insulting.
The IRS says it does not ask for credit card numbers over the phone nor will it ask for pre-paid debit cards or wire transfers. The first contact with taxpayers who have a tax issue will likely occur via mail, according to an IRS news release.
Scam callers purporting to be from the IRS may also threaten to deport or revoke a driver’s or business license.
The IRS says other characteristics of scams 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.
According to the IRS, 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 1-800-829-1040. The IRS employees at that line can help you with a payment issue – if there really is such an issue.
- If you know you don't owe taxes or have no reason to think that you owe any taxes (for example, you've never received a bill or the caller made some bogus threats as described above), then call and report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 1-800-366-4484.
- You can file a complaint using the FTC Complaint Assistant; choose "Other" and then "Imposter Scams." If the complaint involves someone impersonating the IRS, include the words "IRS Telephone Scam" in the notes.
Taxpayers should be aware that there are other unrelated scams (such as a lottery sweepstakes) and solicitations (such as debt relief) that fraudulently claim to be from the IRS.
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