(Forbes)
Kelly Phillips Erb
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has issued a warning about a new twist on the old IRS impersonation phone scam. In this version of the scam, criminals try to convince taxpayers that they are calling from the Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS).
The TAS is an independent organization within the IRS. Its missions is to protect your rights as a taxpayer and to help you with tax problems you can’t resolve on your own. TAS does not initiate calls to taxpayers; generally, you reach out to TAS for help, and only then would TAS make a call or otherwise contact you. You can check out the TAS website here.
In the most recent scam variation, callers “spoof” the telephone number of the IRS TAS office in Houston or Brooklyn. When calls are spoofed, the scammers have changed the caller ID to make it look like they are calling from the agency, such as the IRS TAS.
Calls may be “robo-calls” or automated calls that request a call back. Once the taxpayer returns the call, the scammer requests personal information, like your Social Security number or other personally identifiable information.
In previous variations of the IRS impersonation phone scam, fraudsters demand immediate payment of taxes by a prepaid debit card, wire transfer or gift cards.
Scammers may also tell potential victims that they are entitled to a large refund, but the refund can’t be released until the taxpayers provide personal information.
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