IRS phone scam on the rise for the tax season

I’ve written a number of tips over the years about tax scams. The one on the rise for this tax season is the “IRS Imposter” scam. The name identifies this IRS phone scam precisely, and, the IRS has a very cool infographic about it.

How the scam works

Of course, it begins with a phone call. The caller claims to be from the Internal Revenue Service and demands payment for “taxes owed.”  Here’s the tricky part. Caller ID will probably identify the source as the IRS, the caller may have an IRS badge number, and might know the last four digits of your social security number.

Why it’s all bogus

Scary? Yes. A scam? Absolutely. The fact is the IRS does not make these types of calls. It takes a leap of faith to avoid this one. But the reality is Caller ID can be hacked, IRS badge numbers have been compromised, and our social security numbers compromised in any number of massive data hacks. Be on the alert and don’t fall for this IRS phone scam.

Other tips

I’ve written about IRS scams numerous times. These posts have included posts on a different IRS phone call tricks, last year’s IRS email scam, and an IRS payment email confirmation that caught many off guard.