"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." ~George Bernard Shaw

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Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Public Service Announcement for all USA Taxpayers

This photo is blurry since it isn't the real thing- 
just like the scam phone calls from Jamaica. 
Read below:
NO JOKE!
Beware of Fake IRS Agents Calling

IRS Warns of Pervasive Telephone Scam

IRS YouTube Video:
Tax Scams: 
English | Spanish | ASL
IR-2013-84, Oct. 31, 2013
WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today warned consumers about a sophisticated phone scam targeting taxpayers, including recent immigrants, throughout the country.

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 hit taxpayers in nearly every state in the country.  We want to educate taxpayers so they can help protect themselves.  Rest assured, we do not and will not ask for credit card numbers over the phone, nor request a pre-paid debit card or wire transfer,” says IRS Acting Commissioner Danny Werfel. “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.” Werfel noted that the first IRS contact with taxpayers on a tax issue is likely to occur via mail
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 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.
  • If you’ve been targeted by this scam, you should also contact the Federal Trade Commission and use their “FTC Complaint Assistant” at FTC.gov.  Please add "IRS Telephone Scam" to the comments of your complaint.
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.
The IRS encourages taxpayers to be vigilant against phone and email scams that use the IRS as a lure. The IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers by email to request personal or financial information.  This includes any type of electronic communication, such as text messages and social media channels. The IRS also does not ask for PINs, passwords or similar confidential access information for credit card, bank or other financial accounts. Recipients should not open any attachments or click on any links contained in the message. Instead, forward the e-mail tophishing@irs.gov.

More information on how to report phishing scams involving the IRS is available on the genuine IRS website, IRS.gov.
You can reblog the IRS tax scam alert via Tumblr.
Page Last Reviewed or Updated: 02-Apr-2014

7 comments:

  1. These scammers are creative. Scary creative.

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  2. I heard about this the other day. Thieves. I just hate thieves.

    Have a fabulous day honey. Big hugs. ♥♥♥

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  3. Thank you for spreading the word. Other common scams involve telling you that you didn't come to jury service, and when you claim not to have gotten the summons, they ask for a Social Security Number to make sure they have the right person, or people pretending to be debt collectors, or from your phone company.

    The one thing to remember is that if they call or email you, you have no guarantee that they are who they claim to be. You must hang up and call back at the known, published number, or if it's an email, don't respond but call a known, published number to discuss the situation. Don't rely on the phone number in an email, either.

    It's so sad we have to be concerned about this stuff, but forewarned is forearmed.

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  4. And it ain't just the US they're scamming. A timely warning.

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  5. If only the clever people creating these cams could use their skills for good instead of scamming people.

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  6. There's so many crazy phone calls these days that I usually only answer the phone if I know who it is, otherwise they can leave a message and I'll filter it that way.

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  7. It's one thing after another. Thanks for the post.

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I love comments and will attempt to reply to each one. However, lately I have been getting "Unknown" comments that are linked to some sort of web page. I will never open this sort of comment and will immediately mark as spam. I am not interested in opening something that could be detrimental to my blog security etc. Never have enjoyed hackers! Thanks!