07 Apr News Videos Now Warn of IRS Scams
My latest blog post warned all Americans about the recent scams being perpetrated by fraudsters preying on our fears of being targeted by the IRS. I had hoped that the scam that I reported that my client had experienced was a relatively minor occurrence. Well, it appears that the scam is more widespread than previously thought. Imagine my surprise when, weeks later while watching cable news, there was a report of THOUSANDS of such reported attempts to scam people, resulting in losses of over $1 Million!
I repeat my earlier advice that if you receive such a phone call, do not panic. Ask the caller for any identification (usually legitimate callers from the IRS will have an identification number), request that you are provided a number to call them back, and then immediately seek the assistance of counsel, or make an inquiry to your local IRS office to attempt to confirm the allegations.
Remember, time is on YOUR side; don’t make any hasty decisions to give personal information simply to get them off the phone and avoid the alleged dire consequences. These scam artists attempt to capitalize on your fears, and will make all sorts of threats about immediate punishments if you do not provide that information to them over the phone in an effort to compel you to pay immediately.
In addition, if you have received such a phone call, or are faced with such a call in the future, do not hesitate to call the Inspector General’s fraud hotline: 1–800–366–4484, or get additional information from the Inspector General’s website:
www.treasury.gov/tigta/contact_report.shtml.
Also, watch the news video at foxnewsinsider.com/2014/03/21/irs-warns-elaborate-phone-call-scam-targeting-taxpayers.
This blog post is not considered to be legal advice, and is intended for educational purposes only. For more information regarding any of the foregoing issues discussed above, please visit our website www.SchillbergLaw.com, or contact Robert F. Schillberg, Jr. ([email protected]).
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