IRS Scam in Stephens Co. Area

MJ Kneiser

A  familiar IRS scam is resurfacing in Stephens and surrounding counties.

In the scam, victims receive a call from either a live person or a computerized robo-call telling the victim they owe money to the IRS and will be arrested if they don’t pay up.

Last year, the IRS saw a surge of these types of phone scams.

At that time, IRS spokesman Mark Green said if you call the scammer back, they will attempt to intimidate you and demand you pay up whether you owe the money or not.

“They demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say that you owe,” said Green. “They require you to use a specific payment method for taxes, such as a pre-debit card, they ask for your credit or debit cards over the telephone. And they generally threaten to bring in local law enforcement to have you arrested for not paying or even threaten to file a lawsuit against you.”

Green said scammers are able to alter caller ID numbers to make it look like the IRS is calling.

Additionally, they use fake names and bogus IRS badge numbers.

The IRS says the scammers prey on the most vulnerable, such as the elderly, newly arrived immigrants and those whose first language is not English.

Green reminds taxpayers that they will never call you or email you about any outstanding taxes you might owe.

You will instead always get an official letter in the mail.

If you believe you’ve been the victim of this scam or some other tax scam, you should first file a report with your local law enforcement office and then contact the IRS by going online to www.IRS.gov.