Below is an example in which a fraudster claims to work for the IRS and states that you owe money.
Hello Mr/Mrs xxxxx, this is Officer xxxx from the Tax and Crime Investigations unit of the IRS, and the reason behind this call is to inform you that you are being listed as the primary suspect in a case being filed by the IRS. You owe the IRS money. I would like to inform you that the line on which we are talking right now is being recorded and monitored by the IRS, the local authorities of your state and by one patrolling officer.
Red flags- The IRS will not call you. It will send a written notification to your home.
- All payments to the IRS are made using prepaid vouchers.
- The fraudsters are operating out of foreign countries.
Tips to avoid being victimized
- If you know you owe taxes, or you think you might owe taxes, call the IRS at 1.800.829.1040.
- If you know you don’t owe taxes, or you have no reason to think that you owe any taxes (i.e., you’ve never received a bill, or the caller made bogus threats as described above), then call and report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 1.800.366.4484.
- File a complaint with the FTC Complaint Assistant (Federal Trade Commission) at https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov.
What to do if you have been victimized
- File a complaint with the Credit Bureaus (Experian, Transunion and Equifax).
- Contact your financial institution or visit a local branch to discuss your concern.
- File a police report.