IRS phone scam reported in Canton

CANTON, Ohio — Local law enforcement informed the Internal Revenue Service today that Canton area residents have reported receiving phone calls from scammers who identify themselves as IRS employees. 

In October, the IRS issued an alert about a sophisticated phone scam targeting taxpayers, including recent immigrants, throughout the country. In the nationwide scam, victims are told they owe money to the IRS and it must be paid promptly through a pre-loaded debit card or wire transfer. If the victim refuses to cooperate, they are then threatened with arrest, deportation or suspension of a business or driver’s license. In many cases, the caller becomes hostile and insulting. 

“The callers are hiding behind the IRS name and using scare tactics to get people to fall victim to their scam.  Whether you're in Canton or anywhere in the U.S., the IRS wants you to know that legit IRS employees don't ask for credit card numbers over the phone, or request a pre-paid debit card or wire transfer,” said Jennifer Jenkins, IRS spokesperson for Ohio.

Other characteristics of the nationwide scam 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. 
- If you’ve been targeted by this scam, you should also contact the Federal Trade Commission and use their “FTC Complaint Assistant” at FTC.gov.  Please add "IRS Telephone Scam" to the comments of your complaint. 
- Taxpayers should be aware that there are other unrelated scams (such as a lottery sweepstakes) and solicitations (such as debt relief) that fraudulently claim to be from the IRS. 

"We want the public to be on the lookout for phone and email scams that use the IRS as a lure," Jenkins said.  "We don't initiate contact with taxpayers by email or social media to request personal or financial information.  We don't ask for PINs, passwords or similar confidential access info for credit card, bank or other financial accounts. If you receive a suspicious-looking email from the 'IRS,' don't open any attachments or click on any links. Instead, forward the email to phishing@irs.gov." 

More information on how to report phishing scams involving the IRS is available on the genuine IRS website, IRS.gov.