In late May of 2016, the IRS issued a warning to predominantly student taxpayers about fake phone calls allegedly from IRS representatives demanding payment for a “Federal Student Tax,” a tax which doesn’t even exist. Despite the April tax deadline occurring over two months ago, IRS impersonators continue to contact students throughout the U.S. using various strategies to trick them into wiring money for failing to pay this fake “federal student tax,” usually threatening to report the student to some law enforcement authority if he or she refuses to pay.
These scammers often pretend to be from the IRS, a state revenue authority, or a tax preparation company. Some use intimidation or bullying to trick people into paying for this fake tax. Some may even threaten to arrest, deport or revoke the driver’s license of their victim if he or she fails to comply. If you think you might owe taxes, call the IRS directly at 1-800-829-1040. You may also want to contact the experienced and knowledgeable tax professionals at the Thorgood Law Firm to assist you in sorting out any confusion or lack of clarity.
Some examples of the phishing scams seen this year are:
- Demanding immediate tax payment for taxes owed on an iTunes gift card;
- Soliciting W-2 information from payroll and human resources professionals (IR-2016-34);
- “Verifying” tax return information over the phone (IR-2016-40);
- Pretending to be from the tax preparation industry (IR-2016-28).
Taxpayers should remember that the IRS will NEVER:
- Call to demand immediate payment over the phone, nor will the agency call about taxes owed without first having mailed a notice of an amount due.
- Threaten to report nonpayment immediately to some law-enforcement agency as if such nonpayment is a serious crime.
- Demand payment of taxes owed without allowing the opportunity to question or appeal the alleged amount due.
- Require the use of a specific payment method for payment of taxes.
- Ask for credit or debit card account numbers over the phone.
If you get a suspicious phone call from someone claiming to be from the IRS and asking for payment of back taxes which you believe is incorrect, do not provide any information. Hang up immediately. Contact the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) to report the call. You may use their IRS Impersonation Scam Reporting web page. You can also report the call to the Federal Trade Commission at FTC.gov.
If you are unsure whether or not you owe the IRS any back taxes, call and have your questions answered by THE TAX EXPERTS at the Thorgood Law Firm www.thorgoodlaw.com. For a FREE consultation, call 212-490-0704.
