The IRS phone scam involves an unsolicited call from an individual fraudulently claiming to be a representative from the Internal Revenue Service in an attempt to defraud the call recipient of money. A number of residents of the Arlington Heights community have reported receiving robo-calls from the IRS. The robo-call advises the victim that they are going to be sued by the IRS unless the victim calls the provided number back immediately.
When the victim speaks with the caller, he tells the targeted victim they owe taxes and must make IMMEDIATE payment using pre-paid cards (Vanilla Visa, GreenDot, GreenDot Money Pak, etc.) or a wire transfer (Western Union, MoneyGram, Ria, etc.). If the victim refuses to pay the caller will again threaten the victim with arrest and/or arrest warrant, deportation, lawsuit, or loss of a business or driver’s license.
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:
If you don’t owe taxes, or have no reason to think that you do:
• Do not give out any information. Hang up immediately.
• Contact TIGTA to report the call. Use their “IRS Impersonation Scam Reporting” web page. You can also call 800-366-4484.
• Report it to the Federal Trade Commission. Use the “FTC Complaint Assistant” on FTC.gov. Please add “IRS Telephone Scam” in the notes.
Arlington Heights police recommend that if you are an Arlington Heights resident and have sent money and believe that you were scammed, please call 911 to file a police report with the Arlington Heights Police Department.
If you know you owe, or think you may owe tax:
• Call the IRS at 800-829-1040. IRS workers can help you.
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