SAN ANTONIO – The IRS is warning people about a phone scam in which bad guys are targeting students and parents and demanding payment for a nonexistent tax referred to as the “federal student tax.”
Callers are posing as IRS employees and threatening victims to pay immediately or risk incarceration, according to the IRS.
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“Although variations of the IRS impersonation scam continue year-round, they tend to peak when scammers find prime opportunities to strike”, said John Koskinen, IRS commissioner. “As students and parents enter the new school year, they should remain alert to bogus calls, including those demanding fake tax payments from students.”
The IRS is asking students and parents to let their communities know about this scam to avoid becoming victims.
IRS officials said callers will pose as IRS workers, local police or other law enforcement agencies to scare people into pay. Phony callers also demand their victims pay with iTunes gift cards, prepaid debit cards or money wire transfers.
The IRS warns people to never give out personal information, such as Social Security numbers, W2 information and/or credit card information to callers you don’t know, even if they’re claiming to be with the government.
As a reminder, the IRS will bill people who owe any taxes through regular mail. Anyone who has doubts about someone who is calling them and asking for money should hang up and call the IRS directly.
The IRS has these tips for people who receive a call from callers claiming to be from the agency:
Search the web for the telephone number that called you. Some numbers used by scammers may be published online and linked to criminal activity.
Contact the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration to report the call by visiting its IRS impersonation scam reporting page or by calling 800-366-4484.
People can also report these types of calls to the Federal Trade Commission by using its FTC complaint assistant on the commission’s website. The IRS said to add “IRS Telephone Scam” in the report’s notes section.
Anyone who believes they owe taxes should call the IRS directly by calling 800-829-1040.
#IRS Warns of Back-to-School #Scams; Encourages Students, Parents, Schools to Stay Alert https://t.co/iZPi8EVY7I #dontfallforit
— IRS (@IRSnews) August 19, 2016
Scam calls using #IRS as a lure continue. IRS is NOT calling threatening a lawsuit. Report at https://t.co/MYnR2mbaEo and #dontfallforit
— IRS (@IRSnews) August 20, 2016
#IRS warns taxpayers of summer surge in automated phone #scam calls; fake #tax payments on iTunes gift cards https://t.co/3eBC7alvHs
— IRS (@IRSnews) August 19, 2016