Texas Attorney General Warn Of IRS-Related Scams

AUSTIN, TX — The attorney general's office is warning residents of a telephone scam centered on people posing as Internal Revenue Service agents demanding immediate payment of back taxes.

The scammers contact people threatening them with immediate arrest if they don't immediately pay money owed to the government ahead of the April 18 filing deadline. Bottom line: These are not actual IRS agents, but scammers intent on separating you from your money for their own personal gain.

The AG's Consumer Protection Division offers the following tips if contacted by people masquerading as IRS agents:

• Hang up! The IRS never makes unsolicited threatening phone calls.
• The IRS will never ask you to send money via wire or a prepaid credit card.
• Don’t be fooled by caller ID indicating it’s the IRS. Scammers use “spoof” phone numbers to give the appearance of being legitimate.
• Be suspicious of voice mail messages from scam artists who claim they’re with the IRS and leave a call back number with a Washington, D.C., area code. Report the phone number to the Texas attorney general’s office and the IRS.
• If you think you may owe money to the IRS, contact it directly at 800-829-1040 or at www.irs.gov.

The AG's office says some scammers use letters or emails that appear official. However, legitimate communications from the IRS are sent in a form letter, and agents don't typically demand sensitive personal information.

Another tip that might alert you of scam communications is that they often include typos or other mistakes, the AG says. When in doubt of a letter’s authenticity, call the IRS to find out if the letter is legitimate.

While the IRS has announced partnerships with some private debt collectors, these businesses will not operate in the same manner as a scammer. Find more information about the private debt collection efforts by clicking here.

The attorney general's office urges residents to help combat fraud by reporting any instances of contact with suspected scammers. Write down the date and time of the call, the organization’s name, and the name and phone number left by the solicitor. You can file a complaint online with the Consumer Protection Division of the Texas Attorney General’s Office here and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration here.

Learn more about avoiding frauds and scams at the AG's website by clicking here. Here's a preview of what you'll find in that portal:

FIVE HOOKS: Tell-Tale Signs of a Scam

THEY contacted YOU. Think about it. If you look up a business and call to make an order, you know who is on the other end of the deal. With a con artist, all you know is who that person says he or she is. You are already at a huge disadvantage.

They dangle BAIT in front of you. It is almost always a large sum of money, like a prize or an easy loan, or a large income. It sounds so easy! But we all know that people don't give away large sums of money so easily, or pay large incomes for nothing. Only in daydreams.

They want your PERSONAL INFORMATION. Anytime someone tries to get your bank account number, Social Security Number, or other sensitive information, you should automatically be on red alert. Don't do it.

First, YOU have to pay THEM. Don't be blinded by the promise of a large sum of money in the future. If they are asking you to give them money first, back off. It is illegal for someone to require up-front payment before funding a loan or paying out a sweepstakes prize. And real employers don't generally ask new hires to shell out money.

You have to WIRE or AIRBORNE money instead of MAILING it. This is your last warning: if you are on the brink of wiring somebody money in order to get a prize or a loan, an inheritance or any other large sum of money, STOP! It's a scam, and they are trying to avoid the stiff penalties for mail fraud. You are about to be robbed.

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