Disappearing “Service” at the IRS
Don’t expect much in the way of service from the IRS this filing season. Budget cuts have forced the agency to pare back on services that filers have relied upon in the past. Folks who call the IRS don’t have a great chance of speaking to a person, even after a wait of 20 minutes or more. And if you finally reach someone, you’ll get no help with complicated questions. The IRS will answer only basic queries, such as those regarding filing status, dependents and whether income is taxable. Those with tougher issues will be sent to IRS publications or its Web site.
It’s Not the IRS Calling
A phone scam is targeting taxpayers across the nation. Callers
claiming to be IRS officials (and altering caller ID information to make it appear as if the IRS is calling) are telling their victims that they owe taxes and must pay up fast with a prepaid debit card or wire transfer. Unsuspecting victims are being threatened with arrest, deportation or loss of their driver’s license if they fail to comply. The fraudsters sometimes follow up with bogus e-mails, and often will use fake names and IRS badge numbers. Don’t be tricked. The IRS never makes unsolicited calls to people to tell them that they owe more taxes. The agency normally contacts people first by mail. And it doesn’t ask for personal or financial information via e-mail or on social media sites.
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 – 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 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 www.FTC.gov. Please add “IRS Telephone Scam” to the comments of your complaint.
Remember, 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 email to phishing@irs.gov
The Scam Continues to Grow
In a new effort to take money from unsuspecting 
victims, fraudsters are sending out phony tax bills on what purports to be official IRS letterhead. They are also sending out emails from false websites that contain “IRS” in the Web address.
Keep your guard up and don’t fall victim to any of these scams.
