If you receive, or have received, a telephone call from someone claiming to be from the IRS, threatening legal action or arrest for past due tax bills, please do not panic. This is a scam. It has been brought to our attention that the latest phone scammers are taking drastic measures to frighten taxpayers and trick them into providing confidential information.

The scam begins with a phone call or voicemail message warning of back taxes owed to the IRS; it tells the taxpayer to dial a telephone number to arrange for payment. The phony phonecall may come in initially from an international area code; however, the number provided to taxpayers for call-back is typically to a 202 area code (District of Columbia, US),or 360 area code (Washington State, US). Upon dialing this number, taxpayers may be prompted to select one of two options, the first option being to go to the Federal courthouse to resolve the issue there with a tax attorney. We suspect they are offering this option to seem “legit,” knowing that most taxpayers would prefer to clear up such a matter as quickly as possible; thus, offering option two, which we believe is to provide them your banking and/or credit card information to pay the supposed tax bills.

Remember: The IRS will not call you demanding immediate payment for taxes. Here is a link to their website that provides several tips to help you avoid being a victim of these scams:
https://www.irs.gov/uac/IRS-Urges-Public-to-Stay-Alert-for-Scam-Phone-Calls

And, as always, we are here to help you in these situations. Do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns you might have, if confronted with one of these scammers.