Calls from the IRS -- Real or a Scam?

Many taxpayers have received threatening phone calls from scammers impersonating IRS employees. The frequency of the scam phone calls seems to be increasing. The IRS has issued a Fact Sheet that sets out the ways that they do and do not contact taxpayers and what to do if you receive a scam call.The IRS initiates contacts with taxpayers through the regular mail delivered by the U.S. Postal Service. You will always receive a notice in your mailbox as the first contact from the IRS, never a phone call.The IRS will call taxpayers in special circumstances but not before first attempting to notify taxpayers by mail.The IRS does not:

• Make initial contact with a taxpayer over the phone
• Demand payment by a prepaid debit card, gift card or wire transfer
• Ask for debit or credit card numbers over the phone
• Demand immediate payment
• Threaten to bring in the police, immigration officers or law enforcement agencies for arrest
• Ask about refunds, filing status or confirm personal information
• Use email, text messages or social media to contact taxpayers

If you have received a phone call demanding any of the above, it is a scam. Hang up and report the it to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration and the Federal Trade Commission.More information can be found in the IRS Fact Sheet FS 2018-12.