A recent slew of phone calls from people claiming to be from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has led to several people falling victim to scams, and County Executive Ed Mangano is advising anyone who receives these calls to be wary. According to Mangano, scammers have been tricking people into sharing private information over the pho
ne, and will often alter their caller ID to make it look like the call is coming from the IRS in Washington, D.C.
Victims of the scam have claimed that the callers often threaten to contact the police or to begin the home foreclosure process immediately if they don’t receive cooperation. The IRS is known to have formal procedures in place to resolve tax issues and does not ask for immediate payment over the phone. Mangano has offered tips as to how to avoid being fooled by these calls.
Watch for these signs of a scam:
• The caller demands immediate payment—the IRS will never call about taxes owed without first mailing you a bill and giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount.
• The caller requires that you use a prepaid debit card for your payment.
• The caller asks for your credit or debit card number over the phone.
• The caller threatens to have you arrested for non-payment of taxes.
If you receive a phone call from someone claiming to be from the IRS, here’s what to do:
• If you believe you were the victim of a scam, report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) at 1-800-366-4484 or online at www.tigta.gov.
• File a complaint on www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov: choose “Other” and then “Imposter Scams.” Include the words “IRS telephone scam” in the notes. Or you can call the FTC at 1-877-FTC-HELP.
• If you think you might owe taxes, call the IRS at 1-800-829-1040.
Beware of any unsolicited email, text or other contact about your taxes.
—Submitted by the County Executive’s Office
