FORT SMITH - Another tax season is here. The Fort Smith Police Department wants to remind its citizens of scams associated with the tax filing season. One tactic the scammers use is to call the potential victim and impersonate an IRS agent. Usually, the caller threatens the victim with jail time or fines. The victim is tricked into providing personal information, making a payment to a fraudulent account, or to open fake checking or credit card accounts. As a reminder the IRS will never:
· Call to demand immediate payment, nor will the agency call about taxes owed without first having mailed you a bill.
· 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.
· Threaten to bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.
If you get a phone call from someone claiming to be from the IRS and asking for money, here’s what you should do:
· Do not give out any information. Hang up immediately.
· Contact TIGTA (US Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration) to report the call. Use their “IRS Impersonation Scam Reporting” (https://www.treasury.gov/tigta/contact_report_scam.shtml) web page.
You can also call 800-366-4484. · Report it to the Federal Trade Commission. Use the “FTC Complaint Assistant” (https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/#%26panel1-1) on FTC.gov.Please add “IRS Telephone Scam” in the notes.
