Nassau County Officials Warn of IRS Scam

Nassau County officials recently sent out a warning to residents on a phone scam in which callers pretend to to be from the Internal Revenue Service.

The scam has affected people nationwide. The scammers trick residents into sharing their private information by pretending to be from the IRS. They even change the caller ID to make it look like the call is coming from IRS headquarters in Washington, D.C.

The callers will often threaten to send police or begin the home foreclose process. However, officials warn that the IRS never employs these tactics as they have formal procedures they use to resolve tax issues and never resort to “shake-downs.”

Here are some signs of the scam, according to County Executive Ed Mangano:

• 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
• Require that you use a prepaid debit card for your payment
• Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone
• Threaten 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 using the FTC Complaint Assistant: 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.