Scammers work year-round and often victimize our seniors more than any other age group. But now, with tax season upon us, we always see an increase in the number of these scams and the creativity.
We have recently seen an alarming increase in the number of telephone calls from people claiming to be IRS agents. These callers tell people that they owe the IRS money from past years, and will even claim there is a warrant out for the person’s arrest. They will try to get you to pay immediately – usually by credit card – or they will come and arrest you. It is surprising how many people respond to this by offering up their credit card information.
A similar phone scam actually goes even further. As before, callers claim to be IRS employees and have fake names and bogus IRS identification badge numbers. They target recent immigrants, who may have only been filing taxes for one or two years. The scammers have a lot of information about their victims and usually use a caller ID that makes it look like the IRS is really calling. They may even contact the victim using their native language. People are told they owe money to the IRS, and it must be paid promptly through a gift card or wire transfer. Like the previous scam, they may be threatened with arrest, and since they are recent immigrants, deportation is threatened.
While seniors are most often victimized by phone scams, there is also an increase in phishing with scammers using emails or text messages to victims in an effort to get them to reveal personal and financial information for identity theft. The IRS issues notices regularly about scammers using the IRS name or logo to make these emails seem official. These emails are seeking information related to refunds, filing status, confirming personal information, ordering transcripts and verifying PIN information.
While any of these scams can be confusing to seniors, there is one thing to remember. The IRS never initiates contact by phone, email or text. It will always be by regular mail. If you are approached using one of these methods, offer no information. If you have a trusted friend or loved one, tell them. And you will want to report any scam attempts to the IRS.