The Collier County Sheriff’s Office is asking the public to
beware of an Internal Revenue Service telephone scam targeting taxpayers.
Tax season is underway and CCSO is receiving an average of
10 calls a day to its “Call Before You Pay” hotline from residents who said
they received a phone call telling them they owe back taxes that must be paid
immediately, said Sgt. Brian Sawyer of the CCSO Fraud Section.
“If someone falls victim to this crime, it’s almost impossible
to recoup your money or identification,” said Sgt. Sawyer, noting that in most
cases the suspects exist in foreign jurisdictions.
The Treasury Inspector General for Taxpayer Administration
has said this is the largest IRS-related scam the agency has ever encountered,
with victims collectively paying more than $5 million in 2014.
The scammers spoof the IRS toll-free number on caller ID to
make it appear that it’s the IRS calling and threaten potential victims with
arrest or revocation of their driver’s license or facing arrest. Victims are
often coerced into providing credit/debit card numbers or some other form of
immediate payment.
CCSO reminds people that the IRS will always send taxpayers
a written notification of any tax due via the U.S. mail.
The IRS never asks for credit card, debit card or prepaid
card information over the telephone.
If you get a phone call from someone claiming to be from the
IRS, here’s what the IRS advises you should do:
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If you know you owe taxes or you think you might owe
taxes, call the IRS at 1.800.829.1040. The IRS employees at that line can help
you with a payment issue, if there really is such an issue.
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If you know you don’t owe taxes or have no reason to
think that you owe any taxes, then call and report the incident to the Treasury
Inspector General for Tax Administration at 1.800.366.4484.
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If you’ve been targeted by this scam, you should also
contact the Federal Trade Commission and use their “FTC Complaint Assistant” at
FTC.gov. Please add "IRS Telephone Scam" to the comments of your
complaint.
The IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers by e-mail
to request personal or financial information. This includes any type of
electronic communication, such as text messages and social media channels. The
IRS also does not ask for PINs, passwords or similar confidential access
information for credit card, bank or other financial accounts.
Recipients should not open any attachments or click on any
links contained in the message. Instead, forward the e-mail to
phishing@irs.gov.
CCSO encourages residents to be vigilant against phone and
e-mail scams.
Anyone who receives a suspicious call asking for money
or personal information is advised to report it to the U.S. Treasury
Inspector General For Tax Administration at www.tigta.gov.
In addition, during the tax filing time window between
January-April 15, there may be an increase of identity theft reports due to
someone fraudulently filing a tax return under your stolen Social Security
number in order to obtain your refund money.
Whether you file a return by yourself or use a certified
public accountant, it is a strong indication you are the victim of identity
theft if you receive a notification that your refund has already been submitted
or is currently processing.
Investigators advise the best way to avoid being a victim of
this crime is by filing as early as possible to prevent someone else from doing
it on your behalf.
If this occurs, CCSO advises victims to get in touch with
local law enforcement immediately to file a report. Collier residents can file
reports by calling CCSO’s non-emergency line at (239) 252-9300 or submitting an
identity theft report online through www.colliersheriff.org
and click on “Report A Crime Online” option under the “How Do I?” tab.
