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Local IRS Scam Alert

scam fraud logoSedona AZ (January 25, 2015)The Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office and nationwide law enforcement agencies want every citizen to be aware of the following important information. Please consider sharing this information with family members, friends and social networks.

The YCSO received a call today from a concern citizen regarding a telephone call from the IRS about a fee: The caller ID showed a 928 number and stated it was Yavapai County.

Please note that this is a scam. THE IRS WILL NEVER CALL YOU REGARDING A PAYMENT OR REFUND.

Scam Phone Calls Continue- IRS Identifies Five Easy Ways to Spot Suspicious Calls

The Internal Revenue Service issued a consumer alert providing taxpayers with additional tips to protect themselves from telephone scam artists calling and pretending to be with the IRS.

These callers may demand money or may say you have a refund due and try to trick you into sharing private information. These con artists can sound convincing when they call. They may know a lot about you, and they usually alter the caller ID to make it look like the IRS is calling. They use fake names and bogus IRS identification badge numbers. If you don’t answer, they often leave an “urgent” callback request.

IRS logo

The IRS does not use unsolicited email, text messages or any social media to discuss your personal tax issue. For more information on reporting tax scams, go to www.irs.gov and type “scam” in the search box.

These telephone scams are being seen in every part of the country, and the IRS urges people not to be deceived by these threatening phone calls. The IRS have formal processes in place for people with tax issues. The IRS respects taxpayer rights, and these angry, shake-down calls are not how we do business.

The IRS reminds people that they can know pretty easily when a supposed IRS caller is a fake. Here are five things the scammers often do but the IRS will not do. Any one of these five things is a tell-tale sign of a scam.

The IRS will NEVER:

1. Call to demand immediate payment, nor will we call about taxes owed without first having mailed you a bill.

2. Demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe.

3. Require you to use a specific payment method for your taxes, such as a prepaid debit card.

4. Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.

5. Threaten to bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.

scam fraud If you get a phone call from someone claiming to be from the IRS and asking for money, here’s what you should do:

•If you know you owe taxes or think you might owe, call the IRS at 800.829.1040. The IRS workers can help you with a payment issue.

•If you know you don’t owe taxes or have no reason to believe that you do, report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) at 1.800.366.4484 or at www.tigta.gov.

•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.

Remember, too, the IRS does not use unsolicited email, text messages or any social media to discuss your personal tax issue. For more information on reporting tax scams, go to www.irs.gov and type “scam” in the search box.

For more helpful fraud alert articles on this website, use the search word “scam” in the Home Page search box.

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For the best Arizona news and views, read www.SedonaEye.com daily!

2 Comments

  1. Catches Thunder‎ Cottonwood AZ shared this article on Today’s News and Events.

  2. Sedonadonna says:

    In fact even after the IRS threatens you & investigates you after you become a widow because your idiot mortgage banker credits your dead spouse with interest payments not you, and they find you not guilty or culpable or whatever the clearance word is they don’t call you. They don’t even write! You have to hound them for an answer. The IRS doesn’t call, believe me they send very scary letters but they don’t call.

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