Thursday, December 17, 2015

IRS Scam Calls with a Recorded Twist

Although it is not tax season, we want to make you aware of yet another phishing scam, by phone, popping up again - the IRS Scam. A few years ago, a City employee received a call on a non-published line from a female caller claiming to be from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).  The caller appeared not to know she had reached a City line and tried to solicit personal information from the employee.  The caller claimed there was a problem with the employee's taxes and wished to confirm her social security number and other information.  The caller hung up when the employee politely told her that her taxes had already been filed and the refund received.

Some recent reports are of automated/recorded calls telling folks the call is a final notice of a pending law suit by the IRS for taxes owed. The call instructs the victim to immediately call a specified number for further instructions. DO NOT return these calls!

Phishing scams by telephone are nothing new.  Thieves are always looking for a new or different way to obtain personal information from people and then use it to gain fraudulent credit, commit theft, and other crimes.  Many calls, like this one, are done randomly and the victim is not specifically targeted.

The IRS offers some good advice and information on scams on the IRS website.  Take a look at the their video below for additional information on this recurring scam.  And, remember, the IRS will never call you seeking personal information over the phone!

1 comment:

  1. I think most people have been aware of these IRS scams. I found many reports filed at http://whycall.me since several months ago, and most of the reporters are aware that this is just a scam attempt. I hope no one will fall for these kind of scams anymore.

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