PSA: Talk to Grandparents ASAP About Phone Tax Scams
Tax season is in full swing, which means tax scams are in full swing. The IRS has just issued a warning to seniors in particular to fear telephone scams. If you have grandparents or aging parents, you can let them know.
Here’s a warning from the IRS :
… The IRS reminds seniors to stay alert to aggressive and threatening phone calls from criminals posing as IRS agents. Callers claim to be IRS employees, but they are not. These scammers can sound convincing when they call. They use false names and fake IRS identification badge numbers. They can know a lot about their purpose and usually change the Caller ID to look like the IRS is calling … If the phone is not answered, scammers often leave an “urgent” callback request.
Fraudsters can also claim you have a refund and then ask for personally identifiable information. If you receive a phone call, text message, or email that you suspect is fraudulent, call the IRS at 1.800.829.1040 to see if you really owe anything (however, the IRS will never ask you for credit card information by phone). If it is indeed a scam, you can report it to the Inspector General of the Treasury Tax Service at 1.800.366.4484.