Yes, the IRS Can Indeed Call You (and How to Know If It Is Not a Scam)
You’ve probably heard that the IRS will never call you under any circumstances, and that anyone who claims to be an agency agent is trying to trick you. This is a myth – the IRS can actually call you, especially when there are a large number of tax returns we are dealing with right now. However, fraud is also widespread – so how do you know what is real and what is not?
How to know if a call is really coming from the IRS
The IRS prefers to contact the tax authorities by mail first, but they may call you if you have not responded to their letters. According to H&R Block , an agency usually calls you for two reasons:
- You have a lot of tax arrears
- You are subject to on- site audit
If you did not receive the letter from the IRS before the phone call, it could be a fake. It is also possible that a private debt collector will call you on behalf of the IRS, but regardless of whether the collector or the IRS asks, all debt payments must be made directly to the Treasury. To make a payment, visit this IRS web page .
How to tell if an IRS call is a scam
The IRS will not ask you to make any payments over the phone or claim taxes without a way to dispute or appeal your money. You are most likely dealing with a scammer if the caller:
- Hostile or coercive
- Asks for your credit card number by phone
- Threatens legal action for non-payment
- Threatens to take away your driver’s license, business license or immigration status.
Bottom line
Do not give out personal information to anyone over the phone without making sure you are dealing with an authorized IRS agent. If you unexpectedly receive a phone call from someone who says they are from the IRS and you are not sure if it is legal (especially if the call was not preceded by a letter), you can request their contact information and call your local IRS office. to verify their identity. If you think that the call is a fraud, report it to the Federal Trade Commission, using his assistant complaints .