Frauds & Scams

Don’t Be a Scam Victim—You’re in Control

May 16, 2016 • By

Reading Time: 2 Minutes

Last Updated: June 30, 2021

IRSWith the tax season wrapping up, scammers are out in full force. Perhaps you received a phone call demanding payment from the IRS. They may threaten you with legal action if you do not pay immediately, or say things like, “we are sending the police to arrest you.” While these calls may seem scary, it is important to understand that they are not legitimate. This scam, which started in October 2013, has claimed over $29 million from its victims. Unfortunately, this is just one of many scams designed to make you believe you are speaking with a legitimate government official.

Scammers use many tactics in an attempt to force victims to give out information, and sometimes money, via telephone or email. In Social Security related scams, they often call under a guise of helping you complete a disability application, asking you for your Social Security number or banking information.

Whether they are with Social Security or the IRS, a government employee will never do some things as part of official agency business, including:

  • Call you to demand an immediate payment.
  • Demand that you pay a debt without the ability to appeal the amount you owe.
  • Require a specific means of payment, such as requiring you to pay with a prepaid debit card.
  • Ask you for your personal information or credit or debit card numbers over the phone.
  • Threaten you with arrest or deportation.

Any legitimate request from a government agency will come to you in writing. Additionally, if you do receive a call from a government official, they will be able to provide you with a telephone number and extension. If you receive one of these scam calls or emails, do not provide them with any information. You should:

  • Hang up immediately.
  • For Social Security impersonations, contact Social Security’s Office of Inspector General at https://oig.ssa.gov/report.
  • For IRS impersonations, contact the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) at www.treasury.gov/tigta, using the “IRS Impersonation Scam Reporting” page.
  • Contact the Federal Trade Commission on FTC.gov.

If you are attempting to conduct business with any government agency, or you have received a notice from such an agency, please utilize the telephone numbers provided in the notification. Additionally, you can find contact information on any .gov website such as ssa.gov or irs.gov.

Did you find this Information helpful?

Yes
No
Thanks for your feedback!

Tags: , , , , , ,

See Comments

About the Author

Doug Walker, Deputy Commissioner, Communications

Deputy Commissioner, Office of Communications

Related Articles

Don’t Stand by … Speak Up!

Inspector General Warns About New Social Security Benefit Suspension Scam

Minimizing the Risk of Scams for People Living with Dementia

Protecting Yourself from QR Code Fraud

Comments

  1. aseena g.

    An interesting discussion is worth comment. There’s no doubt that that you need to write more about this subject matter, it might not be a taboo matter but usually, folks don’t discuss such topics. To the next! Many thanks!!
    happy valentines day 2020

  2. VIDEO

    This is really helpful post, very informative there is no doubt about it.
    , shirazsong https://www.shirazsong.in/category/شاد/

  3. music

    I read your post very well. Thank You , shirazsong https://www.shirazsong.in/category/دانلود-فیلم-ایرانی/

  4. song

    Thank you for the article.. Thank You , shirazsong https://www.shirazsong.in/

  5. sevda

    Thank You – https://nex1music.ir/tag/امین-بانی/

  6. ayda

    I was after a few lines of code where the server would automatically escape/filter POST data before inserting into database.
    It turns out that mysql_add_slashes() does the job but it causes more problems than anything and it is not advisable to
    use this function and it has been discontinued since PHP 6.0 – https://nex1music.ir/tag/مازیار-فلاحی/

  7. Mesdi

    Very nice
    thank for sharing this post
    visit : https://aiomag.xyz/
    GL 🙂

  8. john e.

    thanks
    https://noiseplus.ir/
    http://roova.ir/del-series/
    http://roova.ir/kargadan/
    http://roova.ir/mankan-series/

  9. steve j.

    greate post please keep going
    Best Bluetooth Wireless Headphones
    Top 10 Best Ergonomic Office Chairs

    TOP 5 BEST HOVERBOARD FOR KIDS

  10. Sarkari R.

    thank you for very good post https://www.bestsarkariresult.com/

Comments are closed.