The Internal Revenue Service last week issued a warning to taxpayers about bogus phone calls from IRS impersonators demanding payment for a non-existent tax, the “Federal Student Tax.”
Examples of the varied tactics 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)
The IRS urges taxpayers to stay vigilant against these calls and to know the telltale signs of a scam demanding payment.
The IRS Will Never:
- Call to demand immediate payment over the phone, nor will the agency call about taxes owed without first having mailed you a bill.
- Threaten to immediately bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.
- Demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe.
- Require you to use a specific payment method for your taxes, such as a prepaid debit card.
- Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.
For more information please see the below link for details and guidance.