CRESTVIEW — The Crestview Police Department has received several calls from area residents being targeted in IRS scams.
A CPD spokesperson said they received numerous telephone calls about the scam from senior citizens today, but anyone may be a target.
According to an IRS media release, scammers may demand money or may say you have a refund due and try to trick you into sharing private information. They may know a lot about you, and they usually alter their caller ID listing to make it look like the IRS is calling. Callers also use fake names and bogus IRS identification badge numbers. If you don’t answer, they often leave an “urgent” callback request.
Thieves call taxpayers claiming to be IRS officials. They demand that the victim pay a bogus tax bill. They con the victim into sending cash, usually through a prepaid debit card or wire transfer.
They may also leave “urgent” callback requests through phone “robo-calls,” or via phishing email.
Here are five things the scammers often do but the IRS will not do. Any one of these is a tell-tale sign of a scam. The IRS will never:
●Call to demand immediate payment, or about taxes owed without first having mailed you a bill.
●Demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe.
●Require you to use a specific payment method for your taxes, such as a prepaid debit card.
●Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.
●Threaten to bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.
WHAT TO DO:
Here are steps people can take if they feel the IRS call is a scam:
●Do not give out any information. Hang up immediately.
●If you know you owe, or think you may owe tax, call the IRS at 800-829-1040 for help from an IRS worker.
●Contact the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration to report the call. Use their “IRS Impersonation Scam Reporting” web page. You can also call 800-366-4484.
●Report it to the Federal Trade Commission. Use the “FTC Complaint Assistant” on https://www.ftc.gov. Please add "IRS Telephone Scam" in the notes.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview police say numerous residents have reported IRS scam calls