Criminal Charges Tax Scam

It’s bad enough when a scammer makes you think you owe money to this IRS, but it’s worse when they make you think you’re going to prison.

Who Is It Targeting: Consumers

What Is It: Phishing scam that steals money and information under threat

What Are They After: In the recent reports of this scam, citizens received a phone call with a highly detailed and professional-sounding message. It stated in no uncertain terms that the would-be victim was going to prison for failure to pay their taxes. It then directed the listener to contact the IRS at the included phone number, which of course, calls the scammer.

How Can You Avoid It:

• The IRS does not call or email people to inform them that they owe taxes.
• They certainly don’t rely on robo-calls or automated dialers to contact taxpayers.
• If you’re ever in doubt, contact the IRS directly using a verified phone number from IRS.gov.

Find more information about current scams and alerts here. For full details of this scam check out this article from ArgusObserver.com

If you think you may be a victim of identity theft, contact the Identity Theft Resource Center for toll-free, no-cost assistance at (888) 400-5530.