IRS Phone Scam Includes Bomb Threat In Ashburn

ASHBURN, VA — Here's a twist on the seemingly ever-present IRS phone scam, in which a caller claims to be from the International Revenue Service and demands payment in some form because of delinquent taxes. This time, though, the scam included a bomb threat to a resident in the 43600 block of Greenway Corporate Drive, according to the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office.

A woman told police that earlier this week, she received a voicemail saying she owned the IRS money. She didn't return the call. The next day she received a call from the same phone number. She answered. Sure enough, the caller supposedly was from the IRS.

(For more local news, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts. Also, like us on Facebook, and if you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

The caller told her she needed an attorney, and that charges were being filed against her. She then did what she's supposed to do and asked to speak with the caller's supervisor. That's when the caller said there was a bomb in her car. A subsequent search revealed there was no bomb.

As it is, the IRS has tips for avoiding such scams, (although it doesn't mention bomb threats):

Characteristics of the scams include:

• Scammers use fake names and IRS badge numbers. They generally use common names and surnames to identify themselves.
• Scammers may be able to recite the last four digits of a victim’s Social Security Number.
• Scammers spoof the IRS toll-free number on caller ID to make it appear that it’s the IRS calling.
• Scammers sometimes send bogus IRS emails to some victims to support their bogus calls.
• Victims hear background noise of other calls being conducted to mimic a call site.
• After threatening victims with jail time or driver’s license revocation, scammers hang up and others soon call back pretending to be from the local police or DMV, and the caller ID supports their claim.

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 1.800.829.1040. 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 1.800.366.4484.
• You can file a complaint using the FTC Complaint Assistant; choose “Other” and then “Imposter Scams.” If the complaint involves someone impersonating the IRS, include the words “IRS Telephone Scam” in the notes.

Image via Shutterstock