IRS issues scam alert to Auburn residents

Typically in heavily accented English, the shysters on the other end of the line pretend to be agents of the Internal Revenue Service, demanding payment for bogus tax liens.

Typically in heavily accented English, the shysters on the other end of the line pretend to be agents of the Internal Revenue Service, demanding payment for bogus tax liens.

And if you don’t cough up the dough right away, they threaten, federal agents will come out and bust you.

So if you get a call from the number 202-609-7070, the IRS advises you, don’t answer the phone.

“Taxpayers should remember their first contact with the IRS will not be a call from out of the blue, but through official correspondence sent through the mail,” said IRS commissioner John Koskinen. “A big red flag for these scams are angry, threatening calls from people who say they are from the IRS and urging immediate payment. This is not how we operate. People should hang up immediately and contact TIGTA or the IRS.”

The IRS says it:

Never asks for credit card, debit card or prepaid card information over the telephone

Never insists that taxpayers use a specific payment method to pay tax obligations

Never requests immediate payment over the telephone and won’t take enforcement action immediately after a phone conversation. Taxpayers usually receive prior notification of IRS enforcement action involving IRS tax liens or levies.

The IRS says it has received 90,000 complaints to date about the scam, and about 1,000 people have lost an estimated $5 million from the fraud.

If you get a call you believe to be a part of this scam, the IRS urges you call 1-800-366-4484 to report the incident.